NORMAN'S 



>i8f Mrs uf Clultgnftamj 



(WITH EIGHTY ILLUSTRATIONS,) 



cr o ib: zest o-odi zstq- , 




st. peter's church, Cheltenham. 



Ornamental Boards ... 5s. 

Bound in Cloth, gilt iettered 6s. 

Presentaticn Copies, extra cloth, gilt edges 7s. 6d. 

QUEEN'S EDITION, handsomely bound in Morocco, ) 

with extra Views, as presented to Her Majesty and } 12s. 6d. 

H.R.H. the Prince of Wales ,. ... ) 



LONDON : LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN. 

CHELTENHAM: NORMAN, "EXAMINER" OFFICE, CLARENCS ST. 

[entered at stationers' hall.J 

1863. 



3>AW 



1/7 X^r 

1 % 



CHELTENHAM: 
NORMAN, PRINTER, "EXAMINER" OEEICE. 




TIST bringing before the public this revised and enlarged edition 
of the "History of Cheltenham," the publisher believes he is 
supplying a want which has long been felt. The former 
edition having been for some years out of print, the work has 
become exceedingly rare and valuable. It has now been entirely 
re-written and re-arranged, under the personal supervision of 
Mr. G-oding, who has been enabled to add extracts from many 
valuable documents which were not available at the date of the 
former edition. 

The quantity of new matter thus added, and the introduction 
of between eighty and ninety views in lithography and wood 
engraving, — while considerably adding to the bulk of the volume 
and the consequent expense of bringing it out, — have rendered 
the work of far more value as a book of reference, and greatly 
increased its interest to the general reader. It extends to nearly 
seven hundred pages, and comprises the History of the Town 
and Neighbourhood, from the dates of the earliest Eecords to 



the present Time. It embodies a number of rare and interesting 
documents — extracts from Doomsday Book, from old Charters, 
from the Archives of Boyal and Noble families connected with 
the Town, and from Ancient Parish Eecords — and will be, in 
fact, a complete and authentic Record of the Town of Cheltenham 
through every era of its History. 

In order to place more clearly before the reader a consecutive 
narrative of the History of the Town, a Chapter of " Chrono- 
logical Events " has been added, extending to nearly one hundred 
pages of closely printed matter. This Chronology has been 
compiled expressly for the present publication ; and while 
affording a convenient index to the events narrated in detail in 
the body of the work, it will form of itself a complete photograph 
of the leading occurrences in the town's history, especially during 
its extraordinary development in the present century. 




MAUDE S ELM AND CHRIST CHURCH EROM SWINDON BRIDGE. 



LIST OF VIEWS. 



Steel Engravings. 

1 House of King George III... 

2 Jenifer's House (Stevens) ... 
- 3 View in High-street (Lyford) 
, 4 Pittville Spa and Lske 

5 Town from Pittville Rotunda 

6 Iuterior, Pittville Pump Room 

7 Pittville Gardens i i miniature 
b. 8 Lodge gates and Villa, Park 

9 St. Paul's Church (South) ... 
" 10 Thirlestaine House & Gallery 

11 Lake House and Grounds ... 

12 Promenade from Imp. Circus 

13 Lansdown Crescent & Villas 
. 14 Lacsdown Place (Lyibrd) ... 
- 15 Royal Crescent (built 1809) .. 

16 Parish ( hurch (West view)... 
^ 17 Old Wells Walk (South view) 

18 Old Wells Walk (North view) 

19 Napoleon's Fountain 

-' 20 View from summit of Bayshill 

21 Old Wells Music-hail (Lyford) 
i 22 St. Mark's Church (Stevens) 

23 Christ Church, jl.d. 1838 ... 

* 24 St. James's Church 

/ 25 Congregational Church (Lyfd) 

. 2G St. John's Church 

u 27 St. Philip's Church 

Wood Engravings. 

28 Title. St Peter's Church i. 

29 Preface. Maude's Elm... iii. 

30 Leckharcptou Hill 

31 Old High Street 

32 Parish Church, N.W 

33 W. 5 row, Leckliampton Hill 
31 Devil's Chimney 

35 Gallows Oak 

36 Imperial Promenade ... .... 

37 Lansdown Crescent 

38 Lansdown Terrace 

39 View in Lansdown 

40 Ancient view from Bnys Hill 



Page. 



1 
2 
4 
6 
7 

64 
103 
109 
110 
111 
124 



Page 

41 Bays Hill Terrace 125 

42 Modern view, Bays Hill ... 126 

43 Fleece Hotel 137 

44 Thirlstaine House 140 

45 Cheltenham College 150 

46 Training College 153 

47 Interior of Parish Church ... 158 

48 Piscina,ditto 166 

19 Ancient Cross 186 

50 Aviary, Zoological Gardens... 215 

51 St. James's Nursery 216 

52 Ancient Bridge over the Chelt 253 

53 Old Houses, Higli Street ... 263 

54 Ancient View of the Plough . 263 

55 Pates' Grammar School ... 264 

56 Ancient Cheltenham 265 

57 Queen'* Hotel 29"3 

58 Bays Hill, 1788 307 

59 Bays Hill, 1854 308 

60 Autograph of Wellington ... 317 

61 Cheltenham lrom Bays Hill... 375 

62 Pisc ; na in Parish Church ... 531 

63 Portrait of Richard Pates ... 533 

64 Parish Church, West View... 535 

65 Ye Plough in the olden time 536 

66 St. Philip's Church 539 

67 Female Orphau Asylum ... 540 

68 Waterloo Schools 541 

69 Masonic Hall 544 

70 Promenade, from Imp. Circus 545 

71 Infant School, St. Jaraes's-srj. 647 

72 " The Little -pa," Pittville . . 549 

73 St. James's Church 550 

74 Statue of William IV 550 

75 Cambray Spa 551 

76 Literary Institution 551 

77 "Examiner" Office 553 

78 Christ Church 555 

79 Trees in Charlton Park ... 556 

80 East Hayes, Pittville 558 

81 Assembly Rooms 560 

! 82 Montpellier Walk 562 

| 83 Old Hou8es,opposite Cambray 568 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Page 

Introduction — 1 

Chapter of Antiquities 6 
Chap. I. — The British Period 9 
Chap. II. — The Roman Period 14 
Chap. III.— Saxon Period ... 24 
Saxon Priory ... 3.1 
Chap. TV. — Norman Period .. 37 
Chap. V. — Owners of Manor 
since the Con- 
quest 42 

Chap. VI.— Rights and Pri- 
vileges of the 

Manor 46 

Chap. VII. — Ancient Customs 

of the Manor ... 62 
Chap. VIII. — Visit of King 
Edward IV.. A. L). 

1471 74 

Chap, IX. — Eminent Local 

Families 76 

The De Cheltenham Family 77 

Earl of Salisbury 82 

The Berkeley Family 85 

Prinn Family 94 

Sherborne Family 102 

The DeLa Beres 109 

Trye Family 116 

Hicks Family 121 

Skillicorne Family 124 

Jenner Family 130 

Smith Family - 137 

North wick Family 140 

The Close Family 145 

Chap. X.— Parish Church ... 154 
Date of Erection. Views of 
Exterior and Interior. Dis- 
covery of Ancient Coffins. 
Tombs of Eminent Persons. 
Amount of Congregational 
Collections. 
Chap. XI. — History of the 

Rectory 187 

List of Incumbents from 
1602. Property on Glebe 
Land. Misappropriation of 
Church Property. Ancient 
Church. Documents. 



Page- 
Chaf. XII. — Town during 

the Civil Wars 212 
LocalNames engaged in them. 
Relics of the Conflict. Bat- 
tles in the neighbourhood. 
King Charles's Prayer for 
aid from his Steward at 
Cheltenham. 
Chap. XIII. — Lo^al Tobacco 

Plantations 225 

Growth of Tobacco in and 
around the Town. Memo- 
rials of the Virginian 
Planters against it. Legis- 
lative Interference. Con- 
flict with the Military and 
fiaal destruction of the 
Plantations. 
Chap. XIV.— The Town Prior 

TO THE ElGHTiENTH 

Centurtj 233 

Chap. XV. — The Town at the 
Discovery of the 
Mineral Waters 248 
Planting of» the Old Well 
Walk. Great increase and 
improvements. Views of 
Cheltenham past and pre- 
sent. 
Chap. XVI.—Since the Visit 

of George III, .. 269 
Chap. XVII.— Visits of Emi- 
nent i'ERSONS ... 298 
King George 111. and 
Royal Family. View of 
the Koyal Residence. Duke 
of Wellington (with auto- 
graph). The Roy nl Family 
of France. Shenstone. Dr. 
Johnson. Handel Lord 
Byron. Sir Walter Scott. 
Spencer Pereival. Charles 
Jas. Fox. The Russian 
Grand Dukes. Sir John 
Ross. French Prisoners 
of War. Romance of Gen. 
Lefebvre. 



table of contents. 



vn. 



PAGE . 

Chap. XVIIL— Dramatic His- 
tory 33i 

Mrs. Siddons : Copies of 
her Letters and Journal at 
Cheltenham : Her strange 
vicissitudes of fortune. Mr. 
and Mrs. Kemble. Edmund 
Kean. Col. Berkeley and 
the Amateurs. GrimaldL 
Destruction of the Theatre 
by Fire. Wm. Macready. 
Chap* XIX.— Political His- 
tory 362 

Two Members Returned to 
Ancient Parliaments. Ma- 
cauly's Testimony to the 
importance of theStruggle. 
Events since the Reform 
Bill 

Chap. XX.— The Spas 373 

Analysis of the Waters. Na- 
poleon's Fountain. 
Chap. XXI. — Endowed Chari- 
ties 393 

The Grammar School. 
History and List o^ Endow- 
ments. Alms Houses. Cha- 
ritable Bequests. The Hos- 
pital, and Orphan Asylum. 
Chap. XXII. — Ihe Modern 

Churches 445 



PAGE. 

Chap. XXIII. — Dissenting 

Places of Worship 4<56 
Chap. XXIV. — Celebrated 

Authors 473 

Byron. Scott. Moore. 

Campbell. Bulwer. Southey. 
Tennyson. Mrs. Norton. 
Disraeli. Haynes. Bayley. 
A ins worth. Marryatt. 

Dickens. Talford. Sheri- 
dan Knowl s, &c, &c. 
Chap. XXV. — Local Instances 

of Longevity 492 

Chap. XXVI. — The Legend of 

. " Maud's Elm" 498 

Chap. XXVIL— Sanitary His- 
tory 510 

Improvement Commissioners 511 

Burial Acts 517 

Water Works Acts 520 

Gas Company , 526 

Chap. XX VIII. — Chronologi- 
cal Evecsts 529 

This Chapter con. prises 
about 100 pages of curious 
and remai kable events,sorae 
interspersed among the 
preceding 500 pages of 
The History of Chelt- 
enham, and others extracted 
fromthenewspapersoltheday. 




^> 






i 1 

A & s 






a 




IN the History of Cheltenham, as narrated in the following 
pages, the author has commenced his researches at the 
earliest period of which we have any written records. He has 
also availed himself of the light which has been thrown upon 
the subject by the remains which have been from time to time 
exhumed of those bygone races who were either the aboriginal 
possessors of the soil, or the conqueiors by whom those primitive 
people were driven out and supplanted. Thus in the preliminary 
chapters on the "British Period" and the "Koman Period," 
he has collected together all the authentic information, which has 
been handed down to us, of the state of this particular part 
of the country during those remote eras ; and he has carried the 
history during each successive epoch up to the present time. 

In allusion to the more recent periods of this history — say that 
embraced within the last few hundred years — it may not be unin- 
teresting to the reader to summarize in this introductory chapter 
a few of the leading incidents in the past history of this beautiful 



INTKODUCTION. 



town ; — a town which has sprung as if by magic, and within the 
memory of living witnesses, from the condition of an obscure 
village, into a state of expansion and prosperity and beauty, which 
is not surpassed by any town in the united kingdom. 

A visitor to Cheltenham, some few years ago, would have found 

in the centre of the present High 
Street, a running stream, crossed 
every here and there by rude 
stepping-stones, as represented 
in the accompanying engraving. 
The testimony of persons now 
living, together with official 
documents, most unquestionably 
prove, that less than a century 
since, the town presented all 
the appearance of a straggling 
village. The parish register at this period records but three or 
four deaths and christenings annually, and there are aged 
inhabitants yet surviving who can repeat by rote all the once 
occupiers of houses in the town 1 A more retired, rural, and 
unfrequented place was not to be found in England, than 
Cheltenham prior to the discovery of the mineral waters, and 
the establishment of the Spas as places of public resort. The 
transformation which that discovery has brought about is 
certainly one of the most striking facts in modern topography. 
But the suddenness of these changes, and our familiarity with 
the incidents which have accompanied them, have led to an 
impression among the public generally, that Cheltenham, from 
its being only an obscure hamlet within the memory of the 
living, never had a more distinguished existence in remoter 




INTRODUCTION. 3 

periods. The facts which we shall here adduce will serve to 
disabuse the public mind of this too common error. Years 
of diligent study of the many local and national documents and 
histories, united with a knowledge of the various relics of 
antiquity which have been discovered in and around the town, 
have clearly demonstrated to us that Cheltenham is a place of 
great antiquity, and that it formerly enjoyed chartered privileges 
to an extent not surpassed by any other rural town in Great 
Britain. The result of our investigation has established the fact, 
that the history of the town is one of no common or monotonous 
kind, but that it abounds in incidents as interesting as they are 
numerous and diversified. Our evidences show that the account 
of the borough is capable of being traced out for the past 
eighteen centuries — from the periods when the rude pastoral 
Briton, and the war-like .Roman, made it their temporary abode, 
down to its occupancy by the liaut ton of the present day. So 
early as the ninth century, Cheltenham possessed a Priory, and 
two centuries later it had an endowed Church. From the palmy 
days of Henry III., down to the chaotic reign of Henry VIII. , 
the town gave birth and name to several learned natives — the 
famous I)e Cheltenham family. The history of the Manor 
commences with the eleventh century. At that remote era, it 
was chartered, and many and important have been the rights 
and privileges which it enjoyed through the various periods of 
time downwards. It had laws which the general Acts of the 
land could not affect; it had a Coroner, a Civil Court, two 
Parliamentary representatives, and right of trying and punishing 
all criminals within the manorial district. Both by purchase and 
hereditary right, the Cheltenham Manor has been possessed by 
Kings and Queens, and by individuals greatly celebrated for 



4 



INTRODUCTION. 



deeds and abilities, which are amply recorded in the annals of 
the past. 




With the history of the civil wars of the Commonwealth 
era, the town is moreover allied. It was then an important 
station of the royalists, and by them was garrisoned. The 
gallant defence of the place against the republicans, caused it to 
be the scene of a decisive, and there is reason to believe, of a 
bloody engagement. 

In the history of the ancient trade of England, Cheltenham 
also takes a prominent part, having been at one period famed 
for its extensive tobacco plantations, and its markets for wool 
and corn. 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

From the reign of King Edward the Confessor, with but 
little exception, Cheltenham was a very important place, and 
connected in various ways with personages and institutions of 
distinguished fame. It maintained its consequence until the 
latter end of the seventeenth century, when, from the joint 
effects of the Dissolution of Monasteries, and of that dread 
enemy to man — War, it gradually fell into that state of decay and 
obscurity in which it was found at the .discovery of its mineral 
waters about a century ago. In all human probability it would 
have continued to this day in that obsolete condition, had 
not Providence ordained that these health-restoring springs 
should be brought to light, and their virtues applied to remove 
the bitter sting of affliction. 




% Cfjapte flf Mqttifte. 



SO far we have given an outline of the written history of 
the town, as it will be found set forth at length in the 
following pages : but there is beside this an unwritten 
history of the locality in which we live ; the incidents of 
which can only be deduced from the researches of science,, and. 
the epoch of which extends far back into the remote ages of the 
past, long ere the era of human records, and long ere the region 
we now inhabit was accustomed to the tread of human 
footsteps. Geologists tell us that at a certain remote period in 
the history of our planet, Leckhampton Hill, which rises 




immediately above the town of Cheltenham, was a lofty cliff 
overlooking the sea ; that this sea entirely covered the valleys 
which now extend from the Bristol Channel to the shores of 
Cheshire and Northumberland ; that the hills in our immediate 



A CHAPTER OF ANTIQUITIES. 7 

neighbourhood — Bredon, Dumbleton, and Churchdown — were 
solitary islands rising out of this waste of waters, the western- 
most shores of which were formed by the high lands, now known 
as the Malvern Hills and the Welsh Mountains. They tell 
us, too, that at the foot of Leckhampton Hill, and along the 
base of the adjoining eminence, known as Battle Down Hill, 
there stretched a muddy shore, washed by the waves and tides 
of this primaeval ocean, — this mud being, in fact, the salt and 
impervious clay on which the southernmost portion of the town 
of Cheltenham at this moment stands ! Geologists go on to 
inform us, that in the process of ages there occurred a mighty 
upheaving of the northern portion of this sea-bed, and that thus, 
being broken as it were into two, by a range of lofty hills, the 
lower portion of the sea became an estuary, running upwards 
through Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire, from 
the great ocean in the south. 



Standing on the summit of this hill, at the spot above 
" The Devil's Chimney" as represented 
in the annexed engraving, the fertile vale 
below gives striking evidence of these 
mighty changes. And it would seem that 
in the course of these upheavings there 
were strong and ever-shifting currents 
running from north to south, and 
carrying with them large quantities of 
debi-is, some of which lodged itself in 
its passage in the quiet bay which washed 
the base of Leckhampton Hill, and thus, 
these currents and deposits may be traced the beds of gravel 
which occur in various localities in the neighbourhood, and 




8 A CHAPTER OF ANTIQUITIES. 

to the same causes also, as well as to the action of the waters 
upon the bases of the adjoining hills, are we indebted for that 
accumulation of sand which exists in the Cheltenham Basin, and 
through which percolates a never-failing supply of water for the 
use of its inhabitants ! 

It is indeed somewhat curious to reflect, that upon this now 
beautiful spot, where a noble town has reared itself — the 
renovator of health, and the resort of fashion — 'there should 
have existed, in that remote era, a " watering place" of quite 
another description — the resort of beings of a totally different 
character ! For we are told by these same Geologists that mighty 
" Elephants, Hippopotami, Bisons, and other gigantic mammalia, 
then tenanted these regions," and we can almost fancy that at 
the very spot where we are now inditing this sentence — where 
beauty, wealth and fashion " love to congregate "—ages and ages 
ago, the unwieldly Hippopotamus took his afternoon bath and 
wallowed in the mud ! while the ponderous Elephant browsed 
in the adjoining forests ! and herds of Bisons grazed on the 
surrounding hills ! 



THE 



^tstorg of ©fjeltenJjant* 



CHAP. I. 

f&ty aSrtttsS ffixioti. 

THE number and variety of relics of the British race, which 
have from time to time been locally discovered, demonstrate 
that the site of the present Town of Cheltenham was known to 
the Aboriginal inhabitants of Britain. It must have been a spot 
fully formed by nature to suit that military and pastoral mixture 
of life which their own native writers ascribe to them. A high 
elevation of earth work for a camp in time of threatened invasion, 
and a verdant vale contiguous with a supply of water for cattle, 
were what these primitive people required. And here their wants 
must have been amply supplied. Surrounded on every side by 
lofty hills which required little art to convert into fortresses, 
added to a valley watered by the pure stream of the meandering 
Chelt, it must have presented every inducement to the rude 
Briton to make it the place of his abode. The adoption of such 
spots as a settlement, led the Eoman conqueror in after ages to 
apply the word Dobuni, as a designation, proper to denote, not 
only the habits of the inhabitants, but the geographical 
peculiarities of the soil which they occupied ; a name which 
Martin affirms is derived from the British word " Duffen," which 
signifies low and deep, and alludes to the situation of those 
counties which consist chiefly of plains and valleys, and sunk 
under hills. Posbrooke remarks "that Barrows adjacent, are 
obvious external tests discovered by simple observation ; and 
that there were such settlements connected with the fortresses 



10 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

mentioned we have every reason to suppose from analogy. That 
Cheltenham and the vale in the general, were occupied by the 
Britons, for the pasture of their cattle, is not only a presumption 
founded upon their known habits, but a reasonable inference 
from the Doomsday accounts of the Anglo-Saxon era and the 
conclusions drawn from it." All the usual appendages of a 
British village — Barrows, burial places, animal bones, coins, 
pottery, and defensive weapons, have been here exhumed. In 
the town and the land which surrounds it, extending to, and 
including the adjoining hills, where these memorials of a 
Primitive age have been brought to light, they have been found in 
several instances associated with Eoman and Saxon remains. 
This proves that the conqueror occupied the home of the 
conquered, an act which led to the gradual formation of a mixed 
race. This is apparent upon examining the construction of our 
local encampment*. Some of them bear evident marks of 
having been first formed by the Briton, an i afterwards raised and 
enlarged by the Eoman. W. H. Gomonde, Esq., a local 
gentleman who has investigated the antiquities of the 
neighbourhood, and collected many valuable relics belonging to 
the town and environs, enumerates from personal observation, 
the remains of two British and one Saxon village, four ancient 
burial places — British, Roman and Saxon — ten Barrows, five 
encampments, and two Eoman villas. 

At intervals, during the past half century, discoveries have 
been made which prove th? existence of a British burial place 
in nearly the centre of the parish. The Old Workhouse lane 
led to a spot called " Paradise," where were located a few cottages 
in a hollow, surrounded by a bank by which flowed the Chelf. 
Por a long period brick making was cairied on here, and as the 
earth was excavated, urns, bones, Hint arrow heads, and the 
usual contents of a Briton's sepulchre were brought to light. 

This last resting place of the honoured dead was of the rudest 
possible character. The mound of earth, formed by nature, was 
hollowed out, and upright pieces of unhewn stone introduced. 
In one instance a kind of Cromlech was found which would seem 
to denote that it contained the remains of a person of note. 
This was discovered in July 1832. It was formed of three 
upright stones, making the three sides of the sepulchral chamber, 
and covered with a massive cap stone. "Within were found 



THE BRITISH PERIOD. 11 

a heap of broken urns and human bones burnt, stone implements, 
and fragments of personal ornaments." (Adams.) The cap 
stone formed a portion of a press used in the old cider mill at 
the Knapp, adjoining where it was exhumed, until the building 
was taken down, when it was purchased by the late Mr. C. H. 
Jessop, and deposited in his Nursery Gardens with other local 
antiquities. The other sepulchres appear to have been placed 
nearer the hills, and farther removed from the town. The march 
of improvement has now altered the spot where stood the one 
we have been detailing. In 1846, the present Great Western 
Station was erected over the site, and in order to make a good 
approach for traffic, the ravine was filled up with earth, and the 
original character of the locale for ever obliterated. 

" On the hills at Cheltenham a rather low, but very extensive 
oblong mound, overgrown with fir trees, was a few years ago 
accidently dug into at one end, and a small Cromlech was brought 
to light. From the appearance of the mound we are justified in 
supposing that one or more similar Cromleches yet remain 
uncovered in the parts that have not been touched" (Wright, 
1852.) 

" To the East is a field still remarkable for two Barrows of 
British origin, the one round, the other, called by Sir Eichard 
Hoare, a long Barrow; both of these have been opened, the 
former by myself, the latter by Mr. Lysons. The firs that 
crown the top of the long Barrow, are visible from the Boman 
Villa, allowing the Boman inhabitant to have gratified his pride 
with a retrospect of the former prowess of his countrymen." 
..." Under is a bronze fibula, found near the British Village 
under Cleeve Camp;" . . . (the fibula was similar to the 
brooch now in use by ladies.) , . . " British, coins, 
Boadicea, or Boduni, and two others" (Gomonde, 1849.) 

" Fortunately, a tradition has been preserved, which, by 
inviting investigation, has led to the discovery of a British and 
Boman British settlement, which was the direct predecessor 
of Cheltenham, it being the custom to remove the place of 
residence to neighbouring valleys, for the greater convenience of 
water. The Warcescome about Withington stood in a field, now 
called by corruption, Wycombe. Bemains of black pottery have 
been found. A circle also appears, and within this spot 
excavations were made, and stones were found, cut and worked 



12 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

into heads, as if they had belonged to the frieze of a Temple. 
In a quarry, not far off, were discovered the bones of a Briton, 
the brass of a shield, six inches in diameter, and the head of a 
spear, seventeen inches in the blade, and nine inches in the 
socket. A hearth of floor known to be an appendage of British 
settlements, was also found. In November, 1824, I visited the 
site, in company with W. Lawrence, Esq., of Sandywell Park. 
The spear and brass, as well as numerous other coins found 
there, are in the possession of Mr. Lawrence" (Fosbrooke.) 

The place where the adaptation of the British encampment by 
the Romans may be best studied, is at Nottingham Hill. J. E. 
Peacey, Esq., Lord of the Manor of Prescott, who resides near 
this spot, has frequently found British coffins and coins, and 
also Roman coins in the encampment. The steepest part of the 
hill is now being excavated for stone, and the original mound 
of the Britons, and the superstructure of the Eomans, pre laid 
bare to view. Portions of the bones of a Briton, and also a 
lance head, and a coin of Boduni, were obtained by the author 
from the lower mound of the hill in July, 1844, which had 
been rendered loose by the labours of the quarry man. 

At length came the decline of the Primitive race and their 
subjugation, and ultimate amalgamation with a future generation. 
The defeat of Caractacus, the renowned British Chief, paved the 
way for the establishment of the Roman power among the 
Dobuni, and afterwards generally throughout the Island. This 
event occurred about half a century after the beginning of the 
Christian era. Erom this period the local occupants were Romans, 
and so long were they residents that there is hardly a nook in 
our vicinity where the spade or the plough has not turned up 
some archaeological treasure of the civilizers of the West. 

The Romans having been successful in defeating the Britons 
on their own shores, the latter were obliged to retreat inland. 
Togodumnus appears to have had the government of affairs of 
that portion of the British who lived in this district, and being 
a person highly obnoxious in the eyes of the Roman general, 
Plautious, that brave man in 43 attacked the British army and 
completely routed them from this county. The Romans took 
possession of all the encampments of the surrounding hills, and 
enlarged, altered, and generally converted them into Roman 
military stations. The additions made by the last occupiers show 



THE BRITISH PERIOD, 13 

great care and caution in securing watch towers and posts, and 
they may be easily discerned, even upon a cursory inspection. 

We have now completed a review of the British period as it 
has been developed by the local discoveries that have been made. 
We have been speaking of the first known occupants of this 
island, and feel impressed with the social and domestic virtues 
and indomitable courage which they manifested. They lived 
where we now live ages before the glorious light of Christianity 
was kindled. When we contemplate the fragments of their 
heathen altars which lie scattered around us, we are reminded 
of the scenes enacted, when the priest and the people gathered 
together to offer sacrifice. These rude memorials may have met 
the eye of the first apostles of our faith as they journeyed hither 
from Gloucester in their pilgrimage of proselytism. The coins 
of that bravest of all British Queens— Boadicea, (collected by 
Mr. Gomonde), which are found in the neighbourhood, recall to 
memory the native military skill which our primitive ancestors 
possessed. They tell us of the time when the Briton, at the 
sound of wars alarm, hastily fled from his pastoral abode on the 
banks of the Chelt, and ascended to his camp on the nearest hill, 
there to prepare to defend his native home from the attack of a 
foreign power. The imagination may conjure up from their local 
graves the shades of these departed children of nature, whose 
forms were once witnessed. We may fancy we see the army of 
Rome marching on the site of our town, headed with the 
glittering eagle, and threatening captivity or death to all who 
dared to oppose their progress. The British camps around us 
speak their testimony to the fact that the invaders from the 
classic city, gained not their victory, except after a long and brave 
struggle on the part of the Briton to defend the land of his birth. 
But the conqueror and the conquered have long since passed 
away, and after a lapse of eighteen hundred years the inhabitants 
of Cheltenham may, by studying the local relics that have been 
upturned, compare the past with the present, and perceive that 
the Briton has "'given place to another race of probably more 
enduring power and grandeur ; and an age of greater peace and 
light has happily succeeded, wherein the mists of superstition 
are dispelled, and the usages of barbarism abandoned, and it is our 
more fortunate lot to speculate upon those which once might have 
claimed us for their subjects or their victims" (Thompson ) 



14 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

CHAP. II. 

EOMAN power, laws, customs, and manners, had a local reign 
extending over a period of four hundred years. Yestiges 
of our Eoman forefathers' creative genius and architectural 
abilities, still remain on the spot which they formerly occupied, 
after a lapse of ten centuries. The fashionable and wealthy 
residents of Cheltenham daily promenade on the same ground 
that was once tilled by the first conquerors of the primeval race, 
and beneath their feet they tread upon entombed monuments of 
Eoinan ingenuity. Like their British predecessors, the Romans 
selected the watered valley for cultivating the art of agricultural, 
with a contiguous upland mound for military purposes. This 
locality must have exactly suited their habits. It is therefore 
not a matter of surprise that so many discoveries of this once 
powerful nation should have been found, (and still continue to 
be found), in Cheltenham audits vicinity. The spot, ever fertile, 
must have presented attractions which strongly recommended it 
as a station. The Eomans, as a matter of convenience, did not 
repair to hills and fortresses except in cases of emergency. 
Their favourite places were gentle knolls, commanding the 
adjacent valley, surrounded at a good distance by heights, by 
which they received communications and the earliest intelligence. 
If, in imagination, we carry ourselves back to the time when no 
modern dwellings studded the locality, — when from the hills 
around was to be seen one continued plain, watered by the purly 
stream of the Chelt, we can form an idea of how well the site 
of the present " Queen of Watering Places" must have been 
fitted for the mode of life practised by the sturdy Eoman. 
" In selecting a site for their encampments, there is nothing that 
the Eomans seem to have had a greater regard to, than the 
convenience of a river 55 (Horsley). Another reason why the 
place was so well adapted for their purpose was the contiguity of 
the main roads. " Immediately on Claudius gaining a footing 



THE ROMAN PERIOD, 15 

in this country, he set about the formation of grand military 
roads, for the purpose of conveying his troops and baggage, and 
he built a chain of fortresses along the line of the brow of the 
Cottswold Hills" (Lysons, Romans in Gloucestershire ) The 
local Roman roads exist to this day in a most excellent state of 
preservation. The " Ermine Street," or the great highway which 
communicated Gloucester and Cirencester (the two chief cities at 
that time) with London, passes through Witcomb and Bii>ilip, 
and according to Wright, had branch roads connecting it with 
our own local encampments. The then inhabitants could also 
travel south and north. The Fossway passed through Cirencester 
and the Cottswolds to Scotland. The Ickneild Street traversed 
the county and formed a route for marching into Wales. Other 
roads united with Lincoln in the north, and Exeter in the West, 
so that every facility was afforded for the means of transit in 
case of sudden attack from an invading army. 

The coins that have been brought to light belong to some of 
the earliest as well as to the latest of Roman Emperors. This 
proves that the soil upon which the now fashionable town of 
Cheltenham is situate, was occupied by Pagan Romans as early 
as half a century after the Christian era. In 1816, while forming 
a drain beneath the Arched-buildings, in the High-street, the 
workmen found two Roman urns, filled with ashes, and many 
coins. In July, 1818, when som^ labourers were digging a hole 
for the reception of a post near the turnpike gate in the Bath-road, 
they met with a perfect jar, containing, it is conjectured, about 
a thousand Roman copper and silver coins, bearing impressions of 
different Enperors, and other devices. In 1845, a very perfect 
second brass coin of Constantine, having on its obverse a 
representation of Romulus and Remus sucking a wolf, was dug 
up in the market garden adjoining Sir Cornwallis Rickett's 
residence, " The Elms," and on the site of the present Church 
of England Training College. Along with it was found a 
gigantic tooth, of a horse. During the past twenty-six years the 
author has collected eighty-three Roman coins which have been 
discovered during excavations for building purposes in various 
parts of the town. Mr. Gomonde gives the annexed lists of 
the names of the Emperor and Empress which occur on the 
coins found at Cheltenham in his possession up to the year 1549. 
On reference to them it will be seen that they include Claudius, 



16 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

who reigned thirty years, and the tyrant Nero who reigned fifty 
years alter the Birth of Christ. Thus clearly demonstrating the 
early occupancy of our locale by the invaders of Britain* 
" Antonia, Claudius, Nero, Julia Titi, Domitian, Hadrian, 
Antoninus Pius, Gallienus, Victorinus, Tetricus, Maximianus, 
Helena, Theodora, Carausius, Allectus, Licinius, Constantinus 
mag, Ditto gur, Constaus, Constantius, Eausta, Crispus, 
Delmatius, Julianus apos, Yalentinianus, Valeus, Gratianus." 

At the rear of Bays Hill Terrace, at that point of the Chelt 
which is now crossed by a wooden bridge, have been found 
the remains of a Yilla rustica, with its bath. Prom the earliest 
date down to the present day this spot has been called " The 
Cold Bath," in consequence of a local tradition respecting its 
Roman origin. The works of our forefathers appear not to have 
become useless in this case until the last few years, for there are 
inhabitants who can yet remember when the Bath was publicly 
used. About twenty years since, Mr. Johnson, the owner of 
some adjacent property, erected a house upon a portion of the 
old ruins, and the banks of the river being raised at the same 
time, the villa and its hypocaust for ever disappeared from view. 
During the progress of these improvements many coins, bath 
tiles, tesselated pavement, and portions of pottery, were dug up, 
and are preserved by the author and other residents. From 
the following account in a Cheltenham guide, published in 
1781, it would appear that this bath had been in general use. 
" At a distance of between two and three hundred yards from 
the Long Eoom, are the remains of a Cold Bath, close beside 
the Chelt, and originally supplied from its stream, which for 
many years was much resorted to." In 1847, one of the most 
important of our new drives was formed out of a very ancient 
lane. This was " Hale's Road," so named to commemorate the 
name of the originator of the scheme, Mr. C. Hale, who was then 
the parish surveyor. During the excavations a number of Roman 
coins were turned up by the workmen, including several Caesers, 
and one of the Emperor Claudius, all of which are in the 
possession of Mr. Hale. The abundance of coins belonging to 
Claudius, which occur, may be accounted for from the 
circumstance of that Emperor having possessed himself of this 
part of the county, first capturing the British city of Gloucester. 
Counsel, in his " History of Gloucester," bears this testimony 



THE KOMAH PEBIOD. 17 

to the popularity of one perhaps of the earliest local heathen 
rulers : " His great moderation and kindness to the conquered 
natives, while among them, raised him to so high a degree of 
estimation, that they erected a temple to his honour, and 
worshiped him as a god," 

" On Tuesday, the 28th, as some^labourers were digging a hole 
for the reception of a post, near the new Cheltenham Turnpike, 
they found an antique jar, containing many hundreds of Eoman 
coins, mostly copper, bearing impressions of different Emperors 
and other devices. The jar is capable of holding nearly half a 
gallon, and the whole of its curious contents are in the possession 
of a lady in our neighbourhood {Cheltenham Chronicle, August 
6, 1818.) 

In the space of ground which lies between the present Great 
Western Station and the course of the Chelt, and adjoining the 
spot where British and Eoman relics have been found, are proofs 
of its having been used as a burial place. From the united 
testimony of several inhabitants, during the process of brick- 
making, about forty years ago, the finding of what the workmen 
termed " long-chests," containing bones, glass bottles, vases, and 
coins, were of frequent occurrence. These were Eoman coffins, 
and being made of lead, were of some intrinsic value, and found 
a ready purchaser in the person of Mr. Gore, a plumber, then 
residing in the town. From one of the brickmakers employed 
on this spot the author recovered several of the coins found, 
together with a curious ring-case formed by first joining a 
number of pieces of money together, and then perforating a hole 
in the centre. The most legible of the coins is one of 
Constantious, who died in the year 306, an Emperor celebrated 
for his military daring, and for his giving his kingdom to his 
two wives in succession — the Empresses Helena and Theodora. 
About the same period of time, stone coffins, containing bones, 
were found in property adjoining, then occupied by Mr. Weaver, 
as a market garden. These were probably Eoman or Danish. 

From the facts which we have now detailed, it will appear that 
Cheltenham was known to the Ancient Britons, and also to the 
Eomans, and that it must have been a place of occasional 
residence with both of those ancient races. This opinion is 
confirmed by the fact, that there is not a village which 
surrounds the town but which bears evident marks of having been 

c. 



IS HISTORY 01* CHELTENHAM. 

once occupied either by Britons or Eomans. The number, 
indeed, of remains of this period which have, from time to time, 
been dug up from the bowels of the earth within five or six 
miles around Cheltenham, is truly remarkable ; and considering 
the former obscurity of the town, and the absence of a local 
press up to the year 1809, when the Cheltenham Chronicle was 
established — a time when excavations were going on for building 
purposes and general improvements- — we doubt not but that very 
many discoveries have been made which have never been 
recorded. 

On Leckhampton Hill there is a large fortress, situate on that 
side facing the Manor House, and so exceedingly steep as to be 
almost unassailable. Marks of fire have been traced in different 
parts of the embankment, and in June, 1844, in the road leading 
to it, were discovered a part of a helmet, with some human bones 
and portions of pottery. Cleeve Hill has a double entrenchment, 
traceable in the form of an irregular crescent for more than 
300 yards along the summit. This seems to be about 180 yards 
from one acute angle to another, and about 100 yards from 
one obtuse angle to the other. It is on the brow of the hill, 
which is steep enough to be a sufficient defence to it, and there 
seems to have been an entrance from the vale. On the other 
side it is defended by two banks and ditches. The outward 
bank is low, and the ditch not deep. The situation of this 
fortress is very remarkable. In approaching it, the ground 
falls almost everywhere towards the outer ditch, and at the 
distance of half a bow shot from it, a person may see the area 
over the bank; while about 200 yards to the eastward, there is a 
spot of high ground which probably was the watch tower. The 
largest and most extensive post was on the projection of 
Nottingham Hill, across which two banks and ditches are made : 
the station was safely defended by two banks at equal distances 
around the hill. The other camps of the locality, are Churchdown 
Hill, Painswick Beacons, Witcomb Hillock, Bredon Hill, and 
Crickley Hill. 

" A tesselated pavement has been discovered at Withington, 
in this neighbourhood, of about eleven feet by five feet ; the 
pieces under two inches in size, and about an inch thick. " 
(Cheltenham Chronicle, Sep. 20, 1810.) 

From the same authority we learn that in 1811, were 



THE ROMAN PERIOD. 19 

u discovered at Cleeve two large earthen pots, which on 
examination contained a considerable quantity of coin. They 
proved to be gold and silver coins of several Roman Emperors. 
The gold coins are of the Emperors Valerian, one of Valentinian, 
Grantian, and Theodosius. The silver ' coins are those of 
Constantius, Julian, Yalentinian, Gratian, and Theodosis. The 
man has acknowledged that he found one hundred of the gold 
ones, the silver ones most probably greatly exceeded that number." 
Mrs. Tuberville, Charlton House, was a persevering collector 
of Eoman antiquities. After that lady's decease in 1844, her 
unrivalled collection was sold and distributed to all parts of 
Europe. It contained a large number and variety of Eoman 
coins, tesselated pavements, jars and other vestiges that had 
at various times been dug up in Cheltenham and its immediate 
vicinity. The tesselated pavement usually found is composed of 
pieces of a quarter of an inch square. And as a proof how the 
Eomans could adapt themselves to manufacture in a foreign 
soil, it has been proved by an eminent geologist, Mr. Buckman, 
that the materials which they used in forming the tessellse were 
all obtained from the earth around their dwellings, which was 
coloured without artificial aid — ce all produced from Oolite 
freestones. The slate colours are likewise varied, yet all from 
different coloured layers of Lias rock" (Buckman and Newmarch. 
The local paper during the year 1818, has recorded the finding 
of other relics. " Another antique apartment has been found 
this week adjoining the former discoveries of Sir W. Hicks, of 
Whitcomb Park, this room is considerably larger than the former, 
and it is thought to contain many curious proofs of ingenuity 
and magnificence." The late Thomas Henney, Esq., and Mr. 
Cossens' the Post-Master, are mentioned as having found Eoman 
coins on the London Eoad. Sireford and Whittington are 
alluded to as spots where discoveries have been made, and where 
further excavations are intended. The adjoining village 01 
Whittington was also found to be a Eoman Station. " In 
ploughing up a field a most beautiful tessellated pavement was 
discovered, the site of a Villa has been ascertained, seven rooms 
have been traced, and the pavement appears decorated with rud6 
designs and drawings in perfect preservation. Mr. Lysons, the 
celebrated antiquary, who has seen the whole, it is thought will 
publish a description of it" (Cheltenham Chronicle, July 11,1811). 



20 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

In the village of Whittington, not far distant from the scene 
of the last Villa, a similar building was brought to light in the 
previous year. " In 1810, a discovery was made at Whittington, 
and the articles found are preserved in the British Museum. 
This Villa was accidentally brought to light while ploughing s 
field, the property of H. M. Brooke, Esq. On excavating the 
whole of the spot, a villa was traced, 150 ft. in length, containing 
seven different rooms, the pavements of which were ornamented 
with drawings, in most excellent preservation, representing 
Neptune, the God of the ocean, Orpheus, the God of music 
and animals, birds, fishes, &c. An hypocaust, or bath, with 
its appendages, similar to those at Witcomb, was also found." 

At a meeting of the Archaeological Society in 1845, there 
was read ie a report of excavations made by two of the members 
in certain of the gravel pits on Leckhampton Hill, in which have 
been discovered fragments of ancient pottery, snpposed to be 
Eoman, and extensive remains of bones, &c, deposited in 
trenches or layers at depths below the surface, varying from 
three to six feet. Among the objects produced, as found in the 
excavations described in the memoir read, were a highly curious 
horse's bit, precisely similar to that figured in the 21st vol. of 
the Archseologica ; and a portion of a spear or javelin-head ; the 
former is in a remarkably perfect state, but the latter very much 
coroded." 

The most recent discovery of a building was made in 1849, 
by Mr. Gomonde, in connection with another resident anti- 
quarian, Captain Bell. This was the excavation of a Eoman 
Villa on the farm of Mr. Chandler, at Dry Hill— that verdant 
mound which faces the town of Cheltenham on the Shurdington 
side, and locally called " The Crippets." This additional fact 
offers such a practical illustration of the prevalence of Eoman 
residences so near our Borough that we purpose putting on record 
the particulars concerning it. The narrative that follows was 
written by Mr Gomonde, for private distribution, and is from 
a copy presented to the author. 

"The name of the farm on which our villa lies, is called 
the Dry Hill, and is in the occupation of Mr. Chandler, 
who had noticed that the plough frequently struck something 
which appeared to be a portion of a wall, on passing over a 
particular part of the field. With a view to ascertain what the 



THE ROMAN PERIOD. 21 

impediment might be, lie caused an excavation to be made, and 
discovered, what turned out to be a Roman bath." 

" We first commenced by clearing out the bath, and found the 
interior lined with stucco, several inches thick, of a reddish 
colour, and composed of pounded brick mixed with mortar, 
which, may at one time have received a good polish ; similar 
stucco is to be seen in the cold bath at Witcombe. The length 
within the walls is 10 feet 6 inches, the breadth 4 feet 1 inch ; 
at one end was a raised seat, which had been filled with clay and 
smoothed over, and then covered; at a later period a wall had 
been inserted in the middle of the bath ; the seat at the end 
of the bath is now hollow, showing the supporting wall, the clay, 
&c, having been removed, and thus the bath seems to have two 
walls : the bottom also appears, at the same time, when the 
middle wall was inserted, to have been flagged with slabs of 
freestone, a hole arched over was made for allowing the waste 
water to escape on the north side : even with the wall was a 
shallow channel for allowing water to run into the bath. 

" The bath communicated with the hypocaust, by means of a 
passage, with a solid floor, laid with sandstone, many of the 
pieces remaining in situ. The upper floor of the hypocaust was 
quite destroyed, the basis of the piers that supported it were in 
many cases in tolerable preservation and consisted of square 
tiles laid in cement ; fragments of the large tiles that had 
connected the piers together were discovered, as also portions 
of the flues for conveying heated air into the upper chamber — in 
other respects time and the plough had utterly destroyed it on 
the outside. On the north east was a small chamber 3 feet 9 
inches by 4 feet, with the use of which I am not acquainted : 
within were found fragments of a large vase, a foot in diameter 
at the mouth, and an iron stylus : the hypocaust communicated 
with a small chamber, through the centre of which passed the 
great flue leading from the prsefurnium. At the south east side 
of this chamber were two walls almost close to each other. 

" The next room is 27 feet by 16 feet 8 inches, the floor was 
quite destroyed, the clay on which the bricks were laid only 
remaining : one portion of brick was here found having the 
letters PEC stamped on it, other fragments were also found, 
perhaps from the floor ; underneath the clay were large flues 
arched over, having stucco floors, dividing the chamber at 



22 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

right angles, and arched over with mortar : the insides of these 
flues are full of charred wood and coal. It was likely that this 
chamber was the kitchen, as also the room set apart for the 
servants. 

" The next room was 26 feet 6 inches long, and had a floor of 
pounded brick and mortar. At the east side was found a large 
stone, used perhaps as a hearth stone. 

" The next room had originally been 30 feet 5 inches long, with 
a floor similar to that last described ; but at a subsequent period 
another smaller chamber had been inserted, the walls of which 
were laid on the original floor, and a passage left to the east, 
communicating with tbe cryptoporticus of this small chamber. 
Under the floor which had been broken through, were found 
coins of third brass, of the following Emperors — Constantine 
mag. Licinius, Crispus, Yalens : these coins being found in this 
position will, I conceive, give the exact date of the erection 
of the villa; in the north corner of the room were found, 
inserted under the floor, two urns, the one black, the other red, 
both when found were empty ; the black one was much broken, 
the red one quite perfect, the mouth of this latter had a stone 
over it. 

" Returning to the passage, and entering the cryptoporticus to 
the right, we enter a narrow room 18 feet by 10 feet, having 
the angles towards the west rounded off. The floor of this room 
is of a reddish colour, composed of pounded brick miKed with 
mortar, as was also the floor of the next chamber, which I 
consider the dining room for the master of the villa ; this must 
have been a charming little chamber; its dimensions are 20 feet 
by 16 feet, in its original state it had been stuccoed and 
painted as we discovered by the fragments mixed with rubbish 
in the course of excavation. The colours were green, blue, and 
red of various shades, some of which were of extreme delicacy 
of tint. The aspect being south and west, we may fairly 
conclude it was warm all the year through, and the view towards 
the west could not be surpassed for extent and beauty ; the 
place where the table was placed is raised a few inches from the 
ground, and was 3 feet 8 inches wide, covered with the same 
stucco as the rest of the floor ; close to this, in a small hole 
filled with bones and charcoal, I found a coin of Yalentinian. 
This chamber appears to have had a door, formed of a large slab 



THE EOMAN PERIOD. 23 

of free-stone. In the corner of the cryptoporticus, was another 
large hearthstone : not far from this were found the fragments 
of a miil-stone, and also the base of a column, and a portion of 
the handle of a glass liquor bottle. The wall between the 
cryptoporticus and the north chambers was 120 feet long; the 
breadth between the walls of the porticus was six feet six inches. 
On the outside of the villa, about the centre of the porticus, was 
discovered the base of what may have been a porch : this formed 
the entrance to the villa from the garden — (hortus) ; which latter 
had a gravel walk leading from the porch, dividing it into two 
equal parts. The walk appears to -have been protected on 
each side by border stones ; one of which was found in situ. 
The whole villa had originally been roofed over with stone tiles 
of a diamond form — quantities of which were found lying about 
in all directions. A stone trough was also found, of irregular 
form, hewn out of a solid block of freestone : it is still used 
for its original purpose — 'to hold water, and may be seen in the 
corner of Mr. Chandler's farm yard" (Gomonde ) 

After having been connected with the county for upwards of 
four centuries, the architects of these beautiful monuments of art 
for ever departed from the scene of their labours. The Horn an 
power gradually declined in consequence of the migrations of 
the people homewards to defend their native land from foreign 
foes. The Saxons, taking advantage of the defenceless state 
of the country, made attacks at different times, and took 
possession of portions of land, until, by degrees, they became 
masters of the entire island. It appears that this part of 
Britain was conquered in the sixth century. " In 577, Claivlin 
and his brother Cuthwine, defeated the Eomans in a great 
battle at Derham, in Gloucestershire, and obtained possession of 
the three great Eoman cities of Glevum, Corinium, and Aquas 
Solis, which became known to the Saxons by the name of 
Gleo-ceaster (Gloucester), Cyrenceaster, (Cirencester), and 
Bathan-easter (Bath)" (Wright.) 

After this event the footprints of Eoman skill and power 
for ever disappear. The kingdom was divided into an Heptarchy, 
the largest and most important one being the West, which 
included this part of the county. Saxon laws, customs, and 
rules, now supplanted what had been established for centuries. 
"To our contact with the Eoman power we are indebted, 



24 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 

perhaps, for an earlier amount of civilization than any other 
part of England, It is not a little singular how fond the 
Eomans were of Gloucestershire, for out of about 325 parishes, 
of which our County now consists, Eoman remains have been 
found in at least one third, a case, I believe, unparalleled in any 
other county in England" (Rev. S. Lysons.) 



CHAP. IIL 

&fre Saxon $wfo&. 

CHELTENHAM was occupied by the Saxon race for upwards 
four hundred year3. During that period it seems to have 
enjoyed a state of uninterrupted prosperity, and to have been 
well populated for its size. Its adoption by the Germanic settlers 
was doubtless owing to the natural features which the district 
presented, for Eosbrooke remarks that ''Anglo-Saxon towns 
were always in bottoms surrounded by hills." The first local 
King began to reign in 586, and from that date the Saxon towns 
of his Mercian Kingdom, including Cheltenham, appear to have 
commenced their career. The influence of Saxon manners and 
usages was soon felt in the rise and progress of Ecclesiastical,. 
Political, and Agricultural institutions, as the quotations hereafter 
given from national and local documents, will fully manifest. 

During the Saxon era, Cheltenham, and one hundred other 
manors in the county, were the property of the Crown. The 
charters of the age make especial reference to the prosperous 
state of the place and to the environs. The town then occupied 
a central position between two Eoyal residences. Winchcomb, 
and Gloucester, had their Mercian Palaces, and were the chief 
cities of the county. The amount of taxes contributed by the 
then inhabitants of Cheltenham, shows a very high state of 



THE SAXON PERIOD. 25 

cultivation, a fact which is recorded by Saxon writers. " They 
may be considered to have possessed the best system of 
husbandry then in use, and their lands to have been extensively 
cultivated with all those exterior circumstances which mark 
established proprietorship and improvement, as small farms, 
including fields, regular divisions into meadow, arable, pasture, 
and wood : fixed boundaries, planted hedges, artificial dykes and 
ditches, * selected spaces for vineyards? gardens and orchards, 
connected roads and paths, divided villages, and larger towns, 
with appropriated names for every spot that marked the limits of 
each property. All these appear in the earliest Anglo-Saxon 
charters which refer to this part of Gloucestershire" (Turner). 

The allusion to local vineyards " selected spaces for vineyards? 9 
at this period, is an interesting fact as illustrating the mildness of 
our climate. Prom the discoveries which have been made of 
wine making and wine cooling implements in Eoman Villas, as 
well as the allusions by Eoman writers to the cultivation of the 
willow " for binding their vines," it is evident that the grape 
tree was known to our Eoman ancestors. From their time, 
down to the present day, there is abundant evidence to show 
that it has continued to be reared wil h profit and advantage to 
the owner. The tree has become so inured to the soil, that it 
will grow in any situation, and unlike its more modem type, 
requires no artificial aids. It is rapid in growth, is easily 
propagated, and yields an abundant crop. It yet ornaments 
many an humble cottage and farm house, and some of the 
dwelling houses of the town. "Walter de Hereford of his 
stewardship held one vineyard in the Manor of Chintenham 
(Cheltenham") (Pipe EolL 2 Henry II). The name of 
" vineyard" has ever been, and still continues, to be applied to a 
spot in the vicinity. This is a gradually rising ground in the 
parish of Charlton, which might probably have been the site of 
one of the ancient vineyards. This conjecture is made upon 
the fact, that grounds, bearing the same title, occur around many 
other towns in the county which are quoted as " Vineyards" in 
old records. Land in Twyning was held of the Lord of 
Tewkesbury in the reign of Edward III., on condition erf 
" finding a man for sixteen days in digging in the vineyards, and 
gathering the grapes for three days" (Fosbrooke). William of 
Malmsbury, who wrote nearly seven hundred years ago, says 



£6 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

" that this county is planted thicker with vineyards than any 
other in England, more plentiful in crops, and more pleasant in 
flavour.' 3 The old historian Camden, observes, " we have no 
reason to admire that so many places in this county from their 
vines are called vineyards, since they formerly afforded plenty of 
wine ; and that they yield none now is rather to be imputed to 
the sloth and inactivity of the inhabitants, than the indisposition 
of the climate. 5 ' At Cromhall, " about the beginning of the 
last century, there was in the Park a large plantation of vines, 
which produced ten hogsheads of good wine in one year. The 
vine plantation was destroyed, in consequence of a dispute with 
the Eector on a claim of tythes" (Rudge, 1803). " The 
Vineyard, where was a house of the Abbots of Gloucester, was 
one of the original vineyards mentioned by William of 
Malmesbury. Vineyards were begun by the Britons, after the 
year 280, and became extinct, either by a treaty with Prance, 
which stipulated their destruction, or Gascony falling into the 
hands of the English" (Fosbrooke). " After the conquest the 
vineyards increased in number. The monks, who showed their 
taste ana judgment by erecting their monasteries in the most 
beautiful, fertile, and sheltered valleys in the realm, were 
naturally the most successful growers of the grape. By the 
middle of the twelfth century vineyards extended over large 
tracts of the country. Gloucestershire being especially celebrated 
for producing plenty of excellent wine, almost equal to the 
growth of France" (Chambers Journal, April 1860), Cyrus 
Eedding, in his historical account of the vine, cites a number of 
authorities to show that this county and other parts of England 
have been noted for the growth of grapes from the earliest 
period. Palgrane quotes a bGok by Malmsbury, in reference to 
the local abundance of grapes raised, of such antiquity that the 
original work is extremely rare— the only known copy being found 
in the British Museum. The largest and most successful 
cultivator of the vine in old times was Thomas Lord Berkeley, 
an ancestor of Col. Berkeley, the M.P, for the town. This 
nobleman lived in the reign of Edward the third — a time when 
wine was made for exportation to foreign countries. In 1370, 
he is described by Camden as the possessor of a large vineyard, 
" which was very productive, and which he tended with great 
care," 



THE SAXON PERIOD. 27 

From the traces that remain it would seem that the Saxons 
had villages and burial places at short distances from the town. 
The village is invariably found near a stream of water, the best 
example being the one on the banks of the Isis, which flows 
from the Seven Springs on the Cirencester road. The burial 
places are generally located near the foot of a hill, as is illustrated 
by the discoveries at Leckhampton, Shurdington and Cleeve. At 
Leckhampton, coins, lance-heads, fibulas (brooch) and the usual 
contents of an Anglo-Saxon grave are frequently turned up in 
the gravel beds. Wright records in 1844;, a discovery in this 
last named place " The ribs or framework in bronze of a 
defensive Saxon cap, were discovered on a skull dug up at 
Leckhampton Hill, near Cheltenham. A framework of a helmet, 
not very unlike that at Cheltenham, was taken by Mr. Bateman 
from an Anglo-Saxon barrow in Derbyshire," In 1854 another 
discovery was made, " The men at present employed in excavating 
the road to Leckhampton Hill, in removing a tumulus, discovered 
the skeleton of a man, with his teeth entire. From a helmet and 
several portions of armour being found with the bones, it is 
conjectured to be the remains of one who, from the manner of 
sepulture, must have borne distinguished military rank, and 
which had rested in the peaceful grave for nearly one thousand 
years. This ccnjecture is the more probable as some few years 
since a skeleton was disinterred at Shurdington, over which a 
stone with an inscription denoting whose remaius it covered was 
found." — Cheltenham Examiner. 

To the Saxons we are indebted for the first establishment of 
distinct boundaries in localities. The derivation of the name by 
which the town is now designated is doubtless of Saxon origin. 
The most recent of writers on the subject remarks, " Each chief 
received his share of land, on which he settled with his household 
and followers. We still trace these original allotments in the 
names of places in all parts of England, which are composed of 
the patronymic of the family or race. Thus, when we find such 
a name as Birming-ham we may be sure that it was originally 
the ham, or residence, of the Beormnigas, the descendants of 
the clan of Beorrn" (Wright). The opinions of writers on the 
subject are various, but they all agree that the Saxon termination 
"ham" signifies home or town, and if Chilt is a British term for 
a rivulet, it would lead to the conjecture that the original name 



28 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

" Chiitham" might have signified the town near the river. " The 
name is probably from Chilt, which river runs through it* (Budge).) 
" A stream of water, the little Chelt — the old British name of 
the brook, which rises at the base of the hills in Dowdeswell, — 
running through the Ham — the Anglo-Saxon word denoting a 
home, a dwelling-place, town, or village" (Bailey). Budder 
observes — " Its most probable derivation is from the Saxon 
word Chilt, which signifies an elevated spot, and ham, a town, 
village, monastery, or place of shelter. Whence, from its 
geographical situation, the word Cheltenham might have originally 
implied " the town under the hills." Buff affirms that Chelt 
signifies, " a place rising to an eminence," and Ham, " a 
monastery, or minister." Other authors, and among them 
Atkyns, contend that the name is derived from the river Chelt, 
originally Chilt, which rises at Dowdeswell, three miles distant, 
passes through the South side of the town, and empties itself 
into the Severn at Wainload Hill. Gilpin says that, "The name 
Cheltenham is derived from the Saxon Chiitham, signifying with 
them a town." On the Court Boll it is said — " Cheltenham, 
als Chilteham, als Chiitham, is a towne situate on ye north side 
of a small purling silver streame or rivulet called Chilt, from 
which rivulet ye Saxons give it ye name of Chiitham, ye word 
ham being the same with them as ye word towne is amongt us." 
Martin records his belief that, "the ancient town of Cheltenham, 
in Gloucestershire, derives its name from the little brook or 
river Chelt." And in contrast to the various conjectures, is the 
opinion of Eosbroke — " There does not remain the name of any 
village, town, or place, which is not originally of the Anglo- 
Saxon language, except the rivers, which still seem to retain the 
British appellations. Ham, whence came our word home, 
undoubted Anglo-Saxon, implies house, farm or village. If 
Chilt be taken from the rivulet, it ought to be a British 
appellation." 

The orthography, as well as the etymology of the place, has 
also been variously described. In Doomsday Book it is styled 
Chintenham. In the records of Cirencester Abbey, of 1120, it 
is entered as Chilteehe. Neville, who wrote in 1143, designates 
it Chilt. In the sixteenth century, Holinshed calls it Chiltenham, 
and Dugdale spells it Chelteham. The earliest document in 
which we have been enabled to trace the name Cheltenham, as it 



THE SAXON PERIOD. 29 

is at present used, is the Manor Act of 1625, and from that 
period to our own day there appears to have been no deviation 
in the spelling of the word. 

During the long reigns of the 8axon and Anglo-saxon 
rnonarchs, the town appears to have been in a favourable condition 
as to husbandry. It seems to have escaped the ravages of the 
Danes, unlike the other places of the neighbourhood. Through 
all the successive periods of Saxon history down to its termination, 
no incidents occur on record to lead to the supposition that the 
town suffered from the civil contentions then going on. 

King Edward the Confessor commenced his reign in 1041, 
and for twenty-four years he was the owner of all Cheltenham. 
The extent of the Manor at this time was very considerable, 
consisting of "eight hides and a half,"— equal to a thousand 
English acres. It had twenty-one "plough tillages. " A tillage 
was as much land as might be tilled with one plough, in a year, 
having meadow, pasture, and houses for the householders and 
cattle belonging to it, and consisted of nearly eighty acres, 
Among the list of inhabitants at this distant period there were 
"twenty villeins, ten bordars, and seven servi." "Villeins" 
were a class of men who had to labour for their Lord without 
receiving any compensation. "Bordars" where those who held 
plots of land on condition that they supplied the Lord with 
poultry and smaller provisions for his board and entertainment. 
" Servi" were absolute slaves, and not allowed to retain any 
property in their possession. Each of those classes of persons 
were little better than bondsmen : how many free-men cohabited 
with them is not traceable. That Cheltenham must then have 
been in a prosperous condition, appears evident from its 
possession of " two mills," and also from the fact of its having 
paid to the King "J69 5 s., and three thousand loaves for the 
dogs." The last mentioned sum, which was tax money, is 
certainly a large amount for the times, — the pound being then 
equal to £3 2s. of the current coin. The " three thousand 
loaves" were a payment in aid of the dog tax. This was levied 
to support the numerous dogs that were kept to celebrate the 
local chases, which may have been first instituted, not so much 
to afford pleasure to royalty, as to exterminate those destructive 
animals which secreted themselves in the thick foliage of the 
forest during the day, and in the night sallied forth in search of 



SO HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

their prey ; this surmise is supported by most of the ancient 
historians. Duncange states that the bread given to these dogs 
was made of a very coarse descriptions and called panis soj^didiis. 
Smythe, in his "Lives of the Berkeleys," mentions the grant of 
forty-four quarters and one bushel of oats, in 23 Edward III., 
to Lord Berkeley's hounds, for the support of the Mickiewood 
Chase. Spelman says, that at this period, the Lord of the 
Hundred used to derive various aids and services, and among 
these, corn to feed hunting dogs. The reason why this tax was 
first levied was, he says, that the country might be cleared from 
wolves, foxes, badgers, and other vermin. 

cc Deerhurst implies a woody ground, stocked with deer ; and 
this residence may explain, why in the time of Edward the 
Confessor, the Manor of Cheltenham was held in the King's 
hands, and three thousand loaves retained in payment for the 
dogs" (Eosbrooke). 

Hunting with dogs was commenced by the Britons, and 
continued through succeeding ages down to a comparatively 
recent period. The British and Boman races have perpetuated 
their love of the sport by representations of their mode of 
practising the chase on pottery and other articles, the remains of 
which occur in our county. The reason why the town was so 
heavily rated, arises from the fact of its manor being vested in 
the crown. In return for a large contribution in support of the 
State, the residents on the land of royalty had granted to them 
special privileges connected with commerce and agriculture. 
These privileges are referred to in a trial respecting the manorial 
rights which took place in the reign of Elizabeth, the particulars 
of which are detailed in another chapter. Upon that occasion 
charters were cited which prove that Cheltenham was protected 
by Boyal Grant as early as the eleventh century, — " because 
the whole of this royal gift is from all service guit, as in the 
charters of Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror, and 
Henry the first, Kings of England, more fully is contained ; but 
if any one should presume anything contrary to this gift and 
confirmation, he having been summoned before the Exchequer, 
shall pay one hundred pounds of gold" (Prinn). The attention 
which the King gave to the place, was no doubt owing to his 
residence in the neighbourhood, which might have led to a 
personal acquaintance. Gloucester was his favourite abode. 



THE SAXOX PEHIOi;. 

Til that ancient city lie held his court and summoned his 
parliament. 

The description which we have given of the condition of 
Cheltenham has been principally derived from one of the most 
valuable records possessed by any European nation — Doomsday 
Book. This work was commenced by order of William the 
Conqueror, in 1080, and completed in 1086. It contains a 
survey of nearly all the lands then in the kingdom, with their 
value, occupiers, and a great deal of miscellaneous information 
of value. The facts were compiled by commissioners, who 
visited every nook and corner of the country, and had full power 
to summon juries in each locality, and to administer the oath to 
all who composed them — from the haughty baron down to the 
manor serf. The original Doomsday Book is still carefully 
preserved in Westminster Abbey, and it is written in a clear 
legible hand. It was printed in English by order of George III. 
and copies of it may be found in most national libraries. The 
portion of this curious relict of antiquity which relates to 
Cheltenham, and which we have endeavoured to elucidate, we 
now present to the reader verbatim : — 

" Ee»SS 3ME©*5.— Sing ettoattr tylx CpntenJjam. 
Ojere foere etgljt ftttfeg antr an IjaK. iEeinbaltrt ijoltte 
one Slttfe antr an Ijalf, iofycl) Mongg to t!)e Cijurri). 
€I)ere fcere tf)ree 3PIongI) tillage in tremeSne, antr tioentj? 
VilltixM, antr tm 33orfcars', anft J^eben J^erfct, fottlj 
eighteen :PIougI) CtllageS. €3je priests [f)abe] tfoo 
©louglj CtilagesL Eljere are tfoo JHtlfe of Hi. 3tr« 
Bing Mtlltam'S ^UioarU atJtretJ to tl)te iHanor tfoo 
SortrarS antr four TJtUctnS, antr fym ^tlls, of foljtrf) 
tfoo are tlje Btng'S ; t^e tljtrtf is' tlje J^tetoartJ'S ; 
anti tljere fe one JBIouglj Ctllage more, in tije time of 
Sing <£trioartJ tt patt( £9 5$. antr tljree tf)on$an£ loabes 
for tlje 2Bog$. it nolo paps £20 antr tfoentp Cofo*, 
anb tfoentg SogS, antr 16a. tnsteatr of tlje JSreatr," 

This extract, it will be seen, is headed with the words '• Terra 
Regis," or the King's Land. In allusion to this title, Brady 



§2 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

remarks, " that what is recorded under it, is said to be in ancient 
demesne, and consequently to be entitled to certain privileges, 
such as being exempt from all tolls in markets, fairs, &c." The 
relative value of money at the time of the Doomsday survey, 
compared with our own times, illustrates the period under notice. 
Thus the " 16s. instead of the bread " above quoted, was equal 
to £3 of the present coin. Atkyns, in reference to this question, 
remarks — " A bushel of wheat soon after the Norman Conquest 
was sold for a penny, and because their penny was equal in 
weight to our threepence, we may therefore allow their bushel 
of wheat to be valued at three-pence. At this day (1712) a 
bushel of wheat may be valued at four shillings, which is 
sixteen times the value of wheat 600 years ago ; the conclusion 
will be that a man might live in that time as well upon 20s. 
a-year of our money as on £16 a-year at present." And 
according to this mode of reckoning, a person might live as 
plentifully upon £100 under William the Conqueror, as upon 
£5,000 under Queen Yictoria, especially when we take into 
account the increased public taxes, and the artificial wants and 
luxurious mode of living since introduced. 

It is an interestiag and striking fact that a church was erected 
and endowed here prior to the Heptarchy. " Eeinbald holds one 
hide and a half (of land) which belongs to the church." " The 
priests have two plough tillages." The land thus allotted for 
*,he maintenance of the priesthood must have amounted to one 
hundred and sixty acres. The " one hide and a half" which 
was the property of the church, and appropriated to its 
maintenance, was equal to about one hundred and eighty English 
acres. " Priests were not maintained by tithes, but by a certain 
portion of land, with its stock of servants or cattle. Wherever 
we find a priest mentioned in Doomsday, we may conclude there 
was a church" (Dr. Nash) This incident has led to the remark 
<e Of the Anglo-Saxon husbandry, we may observe, that 
Doomsday Survey gives us some indication that the cultivation 
of the church lands was much superior to any other class of 
society" (Turner Sax Hist.) 

The erection of a church in the Saxon era, with its sacerdotal 
officers provided for by an income from land, at once shows the 
then importance of Cheltenham both in an ecclesiastical t *and 
civil point of view. It is evident, that soon after the conversion 



THE SAXON PERIOD. 33 

of the Saxon to the Christian faith, that buildings must have 
been erected here for religious worship. This county can claim 
perhaps the honour of being among the first to renounce idolatry. 
The recent indefatigable researches of the Eev. S. Lysons 
demonstrate that the preaching of Christianity was practised at 
Gloucester during the Apostolic age. The influence of the new 
religion upon the then inhabitants must indeed have been great 
and lasting, for at a very early period after its local introduction, 
a christian temple existed in the town prior to the church above 
recorded. Thus, to the Saxon owners of the Manor of 
Cheltenham, nearly a thousand years ago, we are indebted for the 
first establishment of an institution devoted to the service of 
Christianity. " Gloucestershire was probably the first county in 
England to embrace the Gospel of Christ" (Lysons.) 

THE SAXON PRIORY. 

One of the most momentous events in the history of Britain 
was the landing of the first professor of Christianity on its 
barren and uncultivated shore. Little, perhaps, did the ancient 
missionary contemplate, as the waves impelled onwards his rude 
galley bark toward the British island, that such important results 
would flow from his visit, — that he was destined to scatter among 
the aborigines the seeds of a future civilization of the highest 
order. Christianity, for some time after its introduction into 
this country, had to contend against apparently insurmountable 
obstacles. Its converts were severely punished, and its progress 
was retarded by the barbarous and warlike character of the 
inhabitants, and their liability to be captured by heathen 
invader?. Still it did progress, and Emperors, as well as the 
common people, were among its prufessors. Crude as were the 
notions of religion in that early era, its influence was yet felt to 
a considerable extent, as is evidenced by the erection of the 
various edifices for religious worship and discipline, brought to 
light by the labours of the antiquarian. At that far distant, 
yet pregnant epoch, when Christianity had thus began to shed 
its benign and cheerful rays — its " day-spring from on high," on 
our dark and uncivilized island, there was erected a Priory at 
Cheltenham, to cultivate, teach, and practice, its life-giving 
spirit. D 



h4 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Could we but roll back trie tide of time, we should witness 
the site of the present town ornamented by a single convent and 
building, and the sound heard of the Matin and Vesper bell. 
Upwards of a thousand years have now elapsed since Cheltenham 
Priory was first reared, and although the name of its founder, 
or the precise year of its erection, is not now ascertainable, yet 
it will be apparent, from what follows, that it must have had 
existence so early as the eighth century. Cheltenham was 
under Saxon rule for upwards of four centuries. During this 
period converts to the new faith were made so rapidly that it 
must have included the entire local population in its profession. 
The first Cathedral at Gloucester, the religious Houses of that 
city, the monasteries of Withington, Cleeve, Arle, Hatherley, 
Charlton, Winch comb, Tewkesbury, and other adjacent places, 
were successively erected. It is therefore probable that the 
origin of Cheltenham Priory is referable to the same date. This 
opinion is confirmed by the institution being mentioned in the 
same documents which refer to others of the locality. Cleeve, 
in the days of the Saxons, was a most important monastic 
station. Its monastery was dedicated to St. Michael, in the 
time of King Offa, in 790, "which became subject to the see of 
Worcester, in 888, by Werfrithe, Bishop of Wiccia, in consequence 
of a grant from King Alfred" (Rudge). Thus we see that one 
of the most learned and pious of monarchs must have taken an 
interest in the religious welfare of the locality. To King Alfred 
an endowment is ascribed, and it is not improbable that — as he 
was then the owner of the Manor of Cheltenham, — our own 
Priory merited his attention and support, more especially as it 
was under the same Bishop's jurisdiction. This local connection 
of the greatest of the Saxon race, adds additional interest to 
our subject. It is an honour to be able to include the name of 
the royal translator of one of the most divine aspirations the 
world has ever known — the Lords Prayer, the orthography of 
which to this day retains its Saxon idioms as first written by 
Alfred. 

The first person who makes mention of the Priory, which 
once displayed its hallowed walls within the precincts of the 
borough, is the eminent ecclesiastical historian, Tanner, in his 
u Notitia Monastica." That valuable authority states that, at 
the annual assemblage of all the then religious institutions in 



THE SAXON PERIOD. 35 

the district, called " the Synod/' and held in the year 803, at 
Cloveshoe, the Priory at Cheltenham was the subject of a warm 
discussion. He relates that " Denebert, Bishop of Worcester, 
claimed from it and Beckford, as their diocesan, a certain feast 
or annual payment, which the Bishop of Hereford (who, it would 
seem, in former times, possessed the monastery) refused to grant. 
It was, however, arranged that the Bishop of Worcester should 
receive the feast from the monasteries of Cheltenham and 
Beckford alternately." Tanner also incidentally remarks that 
the building was " situated on a rising ground.' 5 Fortunately 
we are not left to conjecture as to where this interesting spot 
was, for its precise position is clearly stated in the Manor 
Eecords. Its site is now occupied by the houses Nos. 403 and 
404 High-street, and for a long period was the property of Lord 
Capel, one of the Essex family. The following are the words 
on the Court Koll, — " Antiently within the town was a Priory 
which is now the bouse let by Lord Capel to the person who 
farmes his tythes." Those who remember when Cambray was a 
field, prior to 1802, and joined by a farm, well know that it was 
below the level of that part of the High-street which it abuts, 
and where the Priory stood. By such persons the " rising 
ground" of the ancient historian will at once be recognised, and 
the authenticity of the entry on the Manor Bolls be received 
without hesitation. We are also indebted to other authors for 
information on this subject. The records of the ancient decayed 
monasteries were collected by the local antiquarian Prinn. In 
his account of the situation and value of the lands forming the 
endowment of these religious institutions, he alludes to " a wood 
at Cudnalls," belonging to " a Priory at Cheltenham." " The 
Priory is certified to hold an estate called Dunhatherley, and 
lands in Chelteam" (Nicholas.) " There was a monastery here 
as early as the ninth century, houses were built near it, and by 
degrees formed a town" (Moreau). " Our earliest knowledge of 
the Ecclesiastical affairs is derived from Prinn's M.S., wherein 
mention is made of a Priory at Cheltenham" (Griffiths). "A 
Priory was founded near the site which still retains the name" 
(Lee). " A Priory was kaown to have existed at Cheltenham, 
which was supposed to have been founded by the Saxons" 
(Moss). " Here was once a Priory" (Magna Brittania). "A 
Priory is mentioned in Tanner's Notitia Monastica" (Rudge.) 



36 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

According to Nicholas, in the eleventh century, the Synods were 
removed from Cloveshoe to Gloucester. The Archbibhop and 
clergy frequently assembled in that city for the purpose of 
watching over the interests of the religious institutions of the 
county. At one of these Synods assembled in 1086, a Priory is 
included in the list of rentals of property as also a " Chureb 
with its Chapels at Chintenham." " A monastery existed in 
the town prior to 803" (Johnson.) 

In common with most of the edifices then within the dioceses 
of Worcester and Hereford, the Priory at Cheltenham was 
occupied by Monks belonging to the celebrated Benedictine 
order. Their founder, St. Benedict, was born at Nursia, in 
Italy, and was the son of a Koman senator. He founded his 
sect at Mount Cassin, in 516, and died there in 543. His views 
were brought to England by St. Augustin in 596, and although 
opposed by the clergy for a long time, they were entertained very 
generally in less than a century afterwards, and nearly all the 
rich and extensive monasteries which once existed in this part of 
Gloucestershire, adopted the St. Benedictine rules and discipline. 
Belonging to this order there have been 46 Kings, 51 Queens, 
4 Emperors, and 12 Empresses. The value of this institution 
in an educational point of view cannot be too highly appreciated. 
It must have been then the only light glimmering in the dark 
night of ignorance with which Saxon Cheltenham, in common 
with England, was surrounded. Compared with the present, it 
was gloomy; but it was then the only school. The discipline 
was severe; still within its rude walls the lamp of knowledge 
burned, and were the inhabitants of this now large borough 
divested of all that it owes to the patient and humble labour of 
the Benedictines of the ninth century, they would be mentally 
poor indeed. 

We have now traced out the local connection of the Saxons. 
We have seen the endurance, valour, heroic patriotism, and 
religious feeling whieh they manifested. W r e have witnessed 
that they were evidently intended to be the civilizers of their 
race. We have next to record their conquest and deprivation of 
manorial and political power. But they left behind them 
monuments that will endure as long as man exists, in the. influence 
of that faith which they so zealously aided io spread. Norman 
struggled with Saxon, but although the law of the former 



THE SAXON PEEIOD. 37 

prevailed, the free firm spirit of the latter remained uticonquered, 
and influences us at the present day. " Eight centuries have 
passed away" says o :e who has frequently visited and examined 
the antiquities of our town (Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart ) 
"and where is the Norman now? or where is not the Saxon? 
In many a noiseless field, with thoughts for armies, your relics, 
Oh ! Saxon heroes, have won back the victory from the bones 
of the Norman saints ; and whenever, with fairer fates, freedom 
opposes force, and justice, redeeming the old defeat, smites 
down the armed fiend that would consecrate the wrong — smile, 
Oh ! soul of our Saxon Harold ! smile, appeased on the Saxon's 
land." 



CHAP. IY. 

®fi.e JSotman ^ertotr. 

THE conquest of England by the Normans is one of the most 
distinctly marked epochs in history. Cheltenham, from the 
first formation of a Saxon monarchy, had ever been royal property. 
During the Norman dynasty it was held on the same tenure, and 
William the Conqueror was the absolute owner of the place. In 
preceding chapters we have followed the downward path of 
history, and traced out who were its successive occupants. We 
recorded how Briton was supplanted by Uoman, w1ig in his turn 
was followed by Saxon, — each leaving behind him memorials of 
his national characteristics. We have thus travelled through 
eight centuries of time. We now reach a period when Saxon 
power declines, and has to give way to Norman usages, laws, 
and influences. Thus, at the end of the eleventh century, a 
foreign power w r as introduced, which, amalgamating itself with 
the native elements of population, gradually led to the formation 
of the English nation. 



6$ HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The Koyal Norman, when taking possession of the manor, 
enlarged arid improved it sufficiently to lay the foundation of 
that consequence, which at no subsequent period has been 
entirely lost. The Doomsday Survey, recorded in a previous 
chapter, reveals the social and religious state, both before and 
after the conquest. The King farmed his own estate, and had 
upon it a resident Steward. He granted to the inhabitants a 
new charter, which confirmed all the privileges previously given 
by King Edward the Confessor. He also added both to the 
extent and population of the place. 

"Ring; TOIKam'* ^tefoarfc afctrttr to trjte jHanor tfoo 
JSorfcars an* four Villtin*, antt trjret JKtlls, of totjulj ttoo 
are ti)e Jfttncr/a ; ti)e ttjtrfc te trje £ttfoartt% antf tijro to one 
plough tillage more/' 

In the Norman age " Bordars" were tenants who held a bord 
or cottage with land, but were in a servile condition. In the 
lieu of rent, they had to supply the monarchs table " with 
provisions for his board and entertainment ; herce the land so 
held was called bord land" (Kennett). The "four Villeins" 
were a class of men who inhabited the villages, and though they 
ranked above the "Bordars," yet they were obliged to work 
without reward. The King always retained vassals in his own 
manor, or when the property was let out they were given to 
cultivate the soil. Thus, with the Saxons that existed at the 
time the Conqueror first became Lord of the Manor, there were 
in a state of servility a number of persons attached to husbandry. 
The " one Plough Tillage more" in a Norman sense, " signified 
what we call a teams tillage, or as much land as may be tilled 
and laboured with one plough, and the beasts belonging thereto 
in a year, having meadow pastures, and cattle belonging to it. 
This was different according to the soil, not less then eighty or 
more than one hundred and twenty acres" (Selden) The 
working population in the eleventh century, under Norman 
rule, must therefore have consisted of Seven Saxon slaves (Servi) 
Twelve Cottagers (Bordars) and Twenty-four villagers, all of 
whom, more or less, were in a state of bondage. The number 
of freemen, the original Freeholders (Frank-tenants) must have 
been considerable. The charter of the day gives them exemption 
from the payment of tolls on roads, markets, and fairs. The 



THE NORMAN PERIOD. 39 

sum levied and collected for taxes was more then double that of 
the preceding reign. To the Conqueror the place paid " £20, 
and twenty cows, and twenty hogs, and 16s. instead of the 
bread." What a strange and unsocial picture this " Queen of 
Watering Places 55 must have presented at this memorable epoch 
of despotic power — when the " Curfew bell 55 tolled its inhabitants 
to rest ere the fair light of day had departed ! 

In the documents of this period we trace the origin of the 
copyhold tenure under which nearly all property in the town of 
Cheltenham is still held. The words t£ Manor," " Lord, 55 
i( Court Leet,' 5 are of Saxon and Norman extraction, and have 
now been in local use for upwards of seven centuries. The 
" Villeins 55 of 1066, when the Norman invader first claimed the 
place, were the originals of the copyholders now enrolled at our 
Manor Office. The Monarch's Steward held a Court for the 
Freehold Tenants, and an inferior Court for the base tenants. 
At these Courts, changes of tenancy were enrolled, dues paid, 
and fealty sworn to the owner of the Manor. That greatest of 
English commentators, Judge Biackstone, in his iC commentaries 55 
has described the legal birth of the modem copyholder from the 
ancient "Yillein. 55 He thinks that the Normans might give 
some sparks of enfranchisement to the slaves, on the estates of 
the Saxons, by admitting them to the oath of fealty, which 
conferred the right of protection, and raised the tenant to a 
kind of estate superior to slavery, but inferior to any other 
condition. " This inferior tenure was copyhold. In its original 
foundation, it was nothing better than an estate at will ; but the 
kindness and indulgence, the goodnature and benevolence of 
successive lords of manors, permitted their villeins and their 
children to enjoy their estates. From a series of uniform w r iils, 
customs arose, by virtue of which the Common Law, always 
favourable to liberty, and of which Custom is the life, gave them 
a title to prescribe against their lords, and, on performance of 
the services, to hold their lands in spite of any determination of 
lord's will' 5 (Biackstone). 

The Manor Act, now in operation, although passed so recently 
as the seventeenth century, retains in its phraseology specimens 
of Norman servitude. The holders of property are described 
as of " fcaSe tenure," and their possession is made conditional 
44 on Suit ot court, anU bv tfte gearlp rents, foorfc&, Stlber, 



40 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 

3Pettrpmcc, anfc JSreatfrtap motug, to it pafa amtuallp artlf 
xttyttiibtlv." It has been computed from the Doomsday 
Survey, by the county historians, that during the Norman 
rule the Manor comprised 850 acres, which, compared with 
English measure, would nearly amount in extent to 1,200 
acres. The Manor at present comprises 3,387 acres. 

Like his Eoyal predecessor, Edward, William the conqueror 
was a frequent resident in the vicinity, and his personal career is 
associated with the history of our county. There are events 
which show that Gloucester and Tewkesbury were indirectly the 
cause of the Norman King first invading the shores of England. 
The celebrated Earl Godwin attacked King Edward at Gloucester, 
and at other places, in consequence of a quarrel between them, 
and having fled abroad excited the interest of William towards 
Britain. Brictric, Lord of the Manor, of Tewkesbury, was sent 
as ambassador to Elanders. Maud, the Earl of Inlander's 
daughter, became enamoured of him, but he refused to marry 
her. Maud afterwards become the wife of William the 
Conqueror. Brietric's estate was seized, and Queen Maud 
retained possession of Tewkesbury until her death in 1083. 
" William the Conqueror often held his court at Gloucester, and 
generally spent the Christmas there, attended by the principal 
nobility and ecclesiastics of the kingdom. In 1084, and again 
in 1085, the King, with his Lords, held his court for five days. 
The Clergy also, with their Archbishop, held several Synods 
here" (Counsel). But the event which gave such celebrity to 
this local Parliament, and which will for ever render it famous 
in the annals of history, yet remains to be told. " W T e learn 
from a most admirable paper, delivered in Gloucester in July 
1860, by the Eev. Mr. Hartshorne, that in the Parliament which 
was held in Gloucester, in 1080, the wonderful survey of 
England, called Doomsday Book, was decided on at the command 
of William the Conqueror" (Rev. S. Lysons). 

The Normans have left behind them traces of their long 
residence, in the vestiges of ecclesiastical architecture which 
occur in the locality. During the alterations that have been at 
times effected in the parish church, the remains of a Norman 
foundation have been brought to light on the side of the North 
Porch extending to the site of the ancient Chapels and Chantries. 
A portion of a Norman arch, with its zigzag mouldings, was 



T IE NORMAN PEEIOD. 41 

found under the foundation of the Alms Houses that were taken 
down in the Parish Churchyard in August 1813. The Old 
Market, which stood on the site of the premises now occupied 
by Mr. Hawkins, jeweller, near the High-street entrance to 
Clarence-street, having been blown down by a gust of wind in 
1811, left two houses adjoining exposed. Upon their removal 
in 1817, a massive stone was discovered, profusely ornamented 
with Norman devices of the later or transition style. The 
remains of an inscription were traceable upon it, and the date 
1107 was clearly legible. 

The churches around the town yet retain many portions of 
this period in their structure. The Norman Chapel at Southam 
has been restored at the expense of Lord Ellenborough, and 
after the lapse of ages, it will again be used as a place for Divine 
Worship. The nearest churches where the original Norman, 
style may be traced are Leckhampton — portions of the interior 
and font; Cleeve — transition Norman, snake doorway, 1180; 
Brockworth — interior arches beautifully ornamented with zigzag 
cuttings; Churchdown — arch of the south door and bases of 
some of the columns, 1180; Elkstone — a very rich and perfect 
specimen profusely ornamented; Postlip — perfect arch in 
Chancel, and a rare ornament on doorway ; Shurdington — 
curious Norman cross in the porch ; Stanley Pontlarge — fine 
chapel, south door and chancel arch perfect ; Stoke orchard — 
font, and several windows, very perfect, and but lately restored ; 
Swindon — tower, very ancient, and unequally sided; Tredington 
— chancel, very curious ; Witcomb — early period ; and 
Withington — a large and elegant structure, the east door-way is 
a fine specimen of the Norman style of 1145. 

At the Conquest William reserved one thousand four 
hundred Manors to himself as his private share, which included 
Cheltenham. He divided the rest of the kingdom among eight 
hundred of his followers, which led to the introduction of the 
feudal system. This state of things was so opposite to the 
popular mode of government adopted by the Saxons, that the 
monarch was feared but not respected by his subjects. " If his 
valour excites our astonishment, his selfishness, or want of 
philanthropy, must raise our abhorence. If our eyes are 
dazzled with the glare of his treasure, our hearts must shudder 
at the means by which it was acquired. His power degenerated 



42 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

into oppression, and the dismal toll of the Curfew Bell statedly- 
reminded his unhappy subjects of their slavery" (Clarendon.) 
The Conqueror was himself at last conquered by death. He 
made a sort of testamentary document in the form of a letter 
addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, in which he 
nominated his son to the English throne. This Will having been 
adopted by the Clergy, gained the crown for the young Norman. 
William became King of England, and by virtue of that act, 
took possession of all his father's manors, Cheltenham among 
the number. W T illiam II., surnamed Eufus, was therefore the 
next Lord of the Manor. 



CHAP. V. 

©toners of tfje i^anor since tfje GDonqittst. 

CHELTENHAM has been a legally constituted Manor from 
the days of the Saxon Heptarchy down to our own times, 
a period extending over twelve centuries. It has been held in 
succession by the reigning monarch, by nobles whom monarchs 
wished to honour for valour performed, by abbots and abbesses 
who headed the monasteries of their day, and by a host of other 
individuals celebrated alike in the walks of literature, the senate 
house, and the battle field. The honoured names connected with 
our Manor are indeed numerous, and they are associated with 
events which occurred in their day and generation, which have 
both a local and national interest. In future chapters will be 
found full particulars of these noble personages, and their family 
pedigrees, and of the various circumstances which unite them 
with the link of English History. The Manor was possessed 
in turn by the long line of Saxon Kings, William the Conqueror, 
William Rufus, Henry I., Stephen, Henry II. , and by King 



OWNERS OF THE MANOR SINCE THE CONQUEST. 43 

John. By all these owners, charters were granted which gave 
to the inhabitants rights and privileges of a most important 
character, and which helped to make the place prosperous in 
trade and commerce. Henry II. gave the Manor in dowry to 
his Queen Eleanor, but in consequence of the unhappy disputes 
which existed between them, he took possession, and is recorded 
as having received " 100 shillings aid money" direct from the 
copyholders. King John, in 1199, exchanged the Manor for 
other lands with the famous Henry de Bohen, Earl of 
Hereford. Upon this brave warrior's attainder, the Manor again 
reverted to the crown, and in 1219, Henry III. gave it to 
William Long Espee, the illegitimate son of the celebrated 
" Fair Rosamond." This individual, who through marriage 
was created the second Earl of Salisbury, from the notices which 
occur in the documents of the period, must have taken an interest 
in the welfare of his property, a circumstance no doubt 
attributable to his abode in the county. At his death in 1226, 
he bequeathed his estates to his son William. But this person 
having joined the expedition against the Saracens, and 
consequently left the kingdom without the King's leave, his 
Manor and other estates were seized and claimed by the crown. 

Henry III. next gave the Manor to the Bishop of Hereford, 
but he enjoyed its possession but for a few years, for, in 1247, 
for political reasons, that monarch exchanged it away with the 
Abbey of Eescamp in Normandy, for the towns Winchelsea and 
Rye in Sussex, and John Limel, Esq., who died in 1309, held 
the Manor on lease of that religious body. The grant to the 
Abbey of Fescamp was confirmed by an act passed 40 Edward 
III. It next passed by sale to the Norman Abbey of Mont bury, 
but in consequence of the dissolution of alien priories, the Manor 
again became the property of the Crown, and in 1415, Henry V. 
was the possessor, In 1466, Edward IV. granted the Manor 
to the Abbey of Sion, in Middlesex, and the managers of that 
extensive religious institution held possession until 1540, when 
they were deprived of it by virtue of the Act which abolished all 
monasteries. Among the list of distinguished personages who 
leased the Manor of this Abbey, was Sir Maurice Berkeley, 
brother to the fifth Lord Berkeley, and an ancestor of the present 
Member for the Borough. After the death of Henry YIIL, in 
1547, the Manor was held bv Edward VI., and in 1553, by 



44 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Queen Mary, who granted it in the following year "to Catherine 
Buckler and Roger Lygon for their joint lives." 

These names belong to a family of very considerable wealth in 
their day. Thev were the descendants by marriage of the 
celebrated Judge Greville who lived in the reign of Henry TIL, 
and whose brass inlaid monument in the Parish Church has 
attracted so much attention from antiquarians. The former 
name is the youthful widow of Sir J. Buckler, knt., and the 
latter her brother. They jointly were the lessees of the Manor 
until the commencement of the seventeenth century. They 
resided at the very ancient mansion of Arle Court, and Sir 
Fleetwood Dormer, and the Hon. Judge Dormer, of the King's 
Bench, were their representatives. The Grevilles, and their 
next to kin the Lygons, and Bucklers, resided at this mansion 
until the marriage of the last female Lygon with the Hon. John 
Yorke, Earl of Hardwicke, who in 1795, sold it to Thomas 
Packer Butt, Esq., in whose family it has since been vested. 
The Lygon family from the time of their first residence down to 
their connection with the Manor, appears to have been interred 
in our Parish Church. Their monuments, including the famous 
brass one of their ancestor Judge Greville, mostly occur in the 
Chancel. Some idea may be formed of how distinguished a 
position these lessees of the Manor held, from the fact that the 
arms on their mural tablets had fifteen quarterings, and that their 
family pedigree included alliances with the families of Lygon, 
Bracey, Maddersfield, Harlefleete, Decors, Giffard, Beauchamp, 
Abbot, Ufleet, Furnival, Lufton, Terdon, Greville, Arle, and 
Southney. 

At the death of her sister Mary, in 1558, Queen Elizabeth 
took possession of the Cheltenham Manor, and in the sixteenth 
year of her reign, granted a lease of it for the term of thirty-one 
years, to Sir John Woolley, Knt. At the death of Buckler and 
Lygon aforenamed, Sir John Woolley came into possession, and 
in 1589, he sold the residue of his interest in the lease to W. 
Norwood, Esq., of Leckhampton. At the expiration of this 
grant in 1603, the Manor devolved to James the Eirst, who 
invested it in certain trustees for the benefit of his son, the 
Prince of Wales, afterwards Charles the Eirst. In 1628, in 
fulfilment of a prior agreement, the Prince sold it to John 
Dutton, Esq., of Sherborne, and in that gentleman's family it 



OWNERS OF THE MANOB, SINCE THE CONQUEST. 45 

remained vested for 215 years, until it was purchased of his 
descendant, Lord Sherborne, by James Agg Gardner, Esq , in 
May, 1843. This gentleman died in 1859, and his son, J. 
Tynte Agg Gardner, Esq., succeeded him in possesion. Mr. 
Agg Gardner was held in the highest esteem by all parties, and 
the residents of his Manor testified their respect by honouring 
him with a public funeral. A subscription was set on foot, and 
cordially responded to for the execution of a memorial window 
of stained glass. It is placed in the chancel of the Parish 
Church, where he was a regular worshipper. The subject 
selected being the Good Samaritan— one most properly chosen, 
and fully illustrative of the private career of Mr. Gardner. 

We have now traced the owners of the Manor from the last 
of the Saxon Monarchs down to its present Lord. We have 
seen that in its constitution it is of high antiquity, and that it 
has been held respectively by many royal and noble personages. 
In order to aid the reader to more readily trace out the various 
manorial proprietors or occupiers, we have arranged them in 
chronological order : — 



OWNERS AND LESSEES OF THE CHELTENHAM MANOR FROM 
AD. 1041, TO A.D. 1861. 

King Edward tlie Confessor 

William the Conqueror .... 

William Rufus . 

Henry I 

Stephen 

Henry II. and Queen Eleanor 

Walter de Hereford (lessee) 

Kichard 1 

King John 

Henry de Bohen (lessee under John ... 

Henry III 

Earl of Salisbury (grant from Henry II.) 

William Espee, ditto 

Bishop of Hereford, ditto 

Abbey of Fescamp ditto 

John Limel (lessee) 

Abbey cf Montbury 

Henry V 

Henry VI ... 

Edward IV ... ... 

Abbey of Sion 

Sir Maurice Berkeley (lessee) ... ... 

Henry VIII 1540 1547 



rom 1041 to 


1065 


... 1066 


J 087 


... 1087 


1110 


... 1110 


1135 


... 1135 


1154 


... 1154 


1189 


... 1154 


1156 


... 1189 


1199 


... 1199 


1216 


... 1199 





... 1216 


1272 


... 1219 


1226 


... 1226 


1229 


... 1229 


1242 


... * 1247 


1312 





1309 


Z 1312 


1415 


... 1415 


1422 


... 1422 


1461 


... 1461 


1483 


... 1466 


1540 



46 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Edward VI 

Queen Mary 

Buckler and Lygon (lessees) ... 

Queen Elizabeth 

Sir John Woolley, kt. (lessee) ... 

W. Norwood, Esq. (lessee) , 

James I 

Prince of Wales (Charles the First) .. ... 

John Dutton, Esq .. ... 

William Button, Esq. ... ... 

Sir E. DmtoDj Bart. 

John Button, Esq k0 ... ... 

J. Lennox Dutton, Esq. 

Lord Sherborne ., 

Lord Sherborne and F. Welles ~ 

Lord Sherborne 

James Agg Gardner, Esq 

James Tynte Agg Gardner, Esq. ... ... ... 



15*7 


1553 


1553 


1554 


1554 





]558 


1H03 


1589 


1603 


1603 


1624 


1624 


1628 


1628 


1661 


1661 


1675 


1675 


1709 


1709 


1743 


1744 


1776 


1776 


1811 


1811 


1820 


1820 


1843 


1843 


1859 


1859 


—mm 



CHAP. YI. 

W\$\% an& pibtiege* of tt)e Jflsmot 

The jurisdiction of the Lord of the Manor extends over the 
eopyhold property within the parish, and over a portion of the 
adjoining village of Charlton Kings. The rights and privileges 
both of the owner of the Manor, and of the copyholder, are 
clearly defined by Act of Parliament, as well as by customs, 
which have been practised from time immemorial. The tenure 
under which so large a portion of the town is held, has been 
considered by the highest legal authorities to be equal to Freehold 
in the security which it gives to the purchaser. Surrenders of 
estates, either by purchase or heirship, are continually being 
made — a practice of high antiquity, and one which is traceable 
so far back as the Saxon and Norman eras. 



RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 47 

Hudge remarks, " By the customs of this Manor, lands descend 
Us by common law, but there is no co-heirship. The eldest or 
youngest inherits solely. A surviving husband does not hold 
by courtesy, and the customary lands pass by surrender in the 
usual way. The greater part of the town consists of burgage 
tenures under the Manor ; these now pass by lease and release, 
the grant by copy having been destroyed by a verdict of ejectment 
in 1717. To these, the right of commonage in the marsh, of 
about fifty acres, is solely appendant. 55 James the I., to whom 
the Manor devolved, invested it in the names of trustees for the 
benefit of his son, the heir apparent .to the throne, the Prince 
of Wales; afterwards, the unfortunate Charles the I. The 
practice of the Manor officials, up to that time, was founded upon 
ancient usages, which naturally led to disputes concerning the 
rights of copyholders, and the extent of the property over which 
the Lord had control. One of the first, (and we may add one 
of the wisest) acts which this Eoyal possessor did, was to define 
the boundary of his property, and to fix fees for surrenders and 
other protective items, by an act of the legislature. In order to 
carry out his intentions, a meeting of the copyholders was 
convened, and the matter fully discussed by both parties. 

" On February 21, 1624, the agreement for settling the 
customs of the Manor was entered into between the copyholders 
and Prince Charles, being then Lord of the Manor. The tenants 
paid the Lord £1,200 for his consent to the Act in the following 
manner :— 23rd February, 1624, £300 ; 10th November, 1624, 
£300; 15th February, 1625, £300 and £280; at Heading, 
where the term was kept by reason of the sickness at London, 
£20 ;— Total, £1,200" (Prinn). Having thus mutually come 
to terms with each other, the Lord and his tenants next proceeded 
to take steps for carrying matters into effect. The definition of 
the circuit of the manor was indeed a difficult task, but the 
difficulty was surmounted, to a great extent, by the judicious 
selection of a local jury, aided by a most eminent Surveyor 
belonging to the crown. 

" The obscure state of the town rendered the positive extent 
of the manor uncertain in the seventeenth century, and conse- 
quently when it came into the possession of the Prince of Wales, 
he had to ascertain how far his right of land extended. Finding 
that the boundaries of the * hundred and manor 5 had not been 



48 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM, 

properly defined in the legal conveyances, he appointed a cc-tiri 
of survey to be held, in order to set at rest the question." The 
jury was composed of thirty-two of the principal inhabitant 
landholders, who were charged upon thirty distinct interrogatories, 
drawn up by that celebrated topographer, John Norden, Esq., 
who was then the surveyor-general of the possessions of the 
crown. The evidence taken on this occasion was so copious that 
it was recorded on thirty-nine presses of parchment. From this 
curious document, we learn what was considered the extent of 
the hundred upwards of two centuries ago. The following 
extract will furnish the reader with some interesting and valuable 
information on the subject. It is even at the present day the 
best account extant. The many alterations and improvements 
which new buildings have effected, make it difficult to trace out 
the boundary by the ancient names used ; — 

Manor Bound ary. — Jurors' Report A.D. 1625.— That the circuit of the 
Manor beginneth at Barbridge, North West, and from thence extendeth to 
Hawling-mill, and from thence to Furren-hill, and from thence to Swiudon-brook, 
and from thence to Rye-hedge, and from thence to Mantle-meadow, and from 
thence to Swindon's gate, towards the north, and from thence to Morrice-hill, and 
from thence to Cheltenham-brook, and from thence extending along by the said 
brook to Cake-bridge, and from thence to Bouncer's-gate, and so to Hewlett's, 
and from thence to the stones upon Northfield-hill, towards the east, and from 
thence to Bowles-grove, from whence to Highwood-hill, and from thence to 
Ringbourne, and from thence to a little brook leading to Gules-quarr, and from 
thence to Whislye, and from thence to Hyde-piece End, and from thence to a 
piece called Office, and from thence f o Richard Straford's piece, and from thence 
to Sowferley, towards the south, and from thence to Black-hedge, and from thence 
to Burley-field, and from thence to Lynn-acre, and from thence to Bandlands, and 
from thence to' Lewens-laynes, and from thence to the Raynes, and from thence to 
Tymm-learow, and from thence to the outside of flarterfield towards the west, 
and from thence to a house of Reynold Milton's, called the Branyards, and from 
thence to Old-acre, and from thence to Barbridge aforesaid : which notable places 
are, and always of antiquity, were the limits, or the particular bound marks and 
meeres of the whole precincts or boundaries of the Manor. The Prince is the 
immediate and only chief lord of the soil within the Manor of Cheltenham, but 
of such soil as lieth without the Manor and within the hundred there are others 
who are lords thereof, but yet the Prince is lord paramount thereof, likewise the 
Prince, or his farmer, hath the liberty of fishing or fowling belonging to this 
Manor, and otheT liberty of profit or princely pleasure. That they know not of 
any freeholder, or customary hereditary tenaut, that hath died without heir, 
general or special, but only one Robert Johnsons, who died without heir, possessed 
of two messuages, which escheated to the lord, who sithence granted the same to 
one William Whitehorne, in base tenure, to hold to him and his heirs according 
to the custom of the Manor. And do not know of any freeholders or burgagers 
which are dead, and their heirs have not come in, and done their fealties, and paid 
their reliefs ; and say that a customary tenant may surrender to his heir under 




3 



BIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 49 

age, without compounding without the Lord, but payeth fine audheriots, accordiug 
to the custom in that behalf is certain. That all waifes, strayes, felons, fugitives, 
and deodand's goods, with all their royalties, within the precincts of the Manor 
and hundred, and the members thereof, do belong and appertain to the Prince, or 
the farmer for the time being. That the benefit of fishing doth belong unto the 
chief lord of this Manor, or his farmer, and there is a brook that doth yield both 
trout and eels. That there is no land nor rents, to their knowledge, concealed, 
detained, or denied, other thau the Church-house, which is standing most part in 
the Church-yard. That there is a wood called Orley-wood, which is in the 
possession of Thomas Nicholas, Esq., holden of the Prince by lease, under a 
yearly rent. 

Having thus settled by a local jury the extent of the Manor 
over which he had control, the Royal Prince next proceeded to 
fulfil another part of his agreement — the securing of a new 
legislative enactment. In prosecuting this matter both parties 
seem to have acted in unison, and the question was speedily 
settled, and the rights of all concerned protected by the strong 
arm of the law. 

The Act by which the customs of the manor are at present 
administered, was enacted in the first year of the reign of Charles 
I. It was introduced in the House of Lords on June 20 ; passed 
its second reading on June 25, and went into committee on June 
28, 1625. The committee on the occasion was composed of the 
following distinguished persons : — The Bishops of Gloucester 
and St. David, Lord Treasurer, Lord Privy Seal, Lord President, 
Bishop of Durham, Lord Berkeley, Lord Conway, Lord Scrope, 
Lord Eussell, Lord Dan vers and Lord Spencer. The bill passed 
in the House of Commons on July the 4th following, without 
going into committee, and received the Eoyal Assent at Oxford 
on August the 1st, 1625. The rapid manner in which the Act 
passed both Houses of Legislature is remarkable. The small 
expense which was incurred in procuring this great boon is 
worthy of note, and forms a striking contrast to the heavy legal 
charges which have since attended the obtaining of our modern 
Local Acts. Prinn has preserved the items of expenditure, and 
we place them on record here as a curious illustration of the 
practice of the law in the seventeenth century. Prom this "bill 
of costs " it will be seen that the moderate sum of seventy-four 
pounds gave rights over property situated on an area of upwards 
of one thousand acres: — 

E 



50 



HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 



Charges op the House oe Lords eor Passing the Cheltenham 
Manorial Act. 

Mr. Elsinge, clerk of the upper house 

John Throkmorton, his clerk 

Printing 5? breviatts 

The lord keeper's fee 

For the order of our committee 

Eor writing the same 

Eor reading the act in the upper house 

Sergeant Bridgman, for attending committee 

Mr. Maxwell, the gentleman usher 

To him, for wafers and ipocras for the lords*.. . 

Mr. Crane, the yeoman usher 

The doorkeeper of the upper house 

Mr. Parkinson, for attending committee 

John Throkmorton, ditto 

Eor engrossing the act 

Mr. Elsinge's fee, being above two skins 



Charges oe the House or Commons. 



Sir Thos. Crewe, the speaker... 

Mr. Wright, the clerk 

To the sergeant and other officers., 

Mr. Wright's two clerks 

To the doorkeeper 



Charges of the House of Lords 
Total amount ... 



£10 





2 





7 





20 





2 


6 


... ... 2 


6 


10 





1 





8 





... ... 4 





3 





1 





... ... 10 





10 





1 10 





2 4 





£54 16 





MMONS. 

£10 


G 


4 





4 


c 


1 


G 


5 





£19 5 





54 16 





£74 1 






The simplicity with which this invaluable and curious state- 
ment is drawn up testifies the sincerity of all parties concerned in 
the transaction. The tenants appear to have paid all the expenses 
thus incurred for securing their rights and privileges. Little 
did either the Prince, copyholder, or legislator imagine that when 
they were procuring this enactment for a small town, with its 
poor rural population, that the same place should afterwards be 
transformed into the wealthy "Queen of Watering Places," with 
its 40,000 inhabitants ! 

The Cheltenham Manor Act is, perhaps, one of the briefest 
and best of the kind ever passed in England. Its clauses are 
remarkably clear and simple, and it is, throughout, free from 
ambiguity. The security which it gives to the purchasers renders 



RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 51 

the copyhold property of the town equal in all important respects 
to freehold. It gives privileges to the descendants of copyholders 
which are not conferred by the common law of the land. At 
the open courts, periodically called by public advertisement, 
surrenders of estates are made, and the owners enrolled, upon 
the payment of a fixed fee, and thus the purchase is quickly 
secured without any legal difficulty. As a large portion of the 
land upon which the town is built is copyhold, we shall publish 
the entire Act, feeling assured that it will be read with interest. 
Under the power of the new Act, the Manorial Court was held 
on June 3, 16:29, since which period Courts have been regularly 
called. The original Act, as printed by the House of Commons 
in the reign of Charles the First, is a small octavo, and is a 
curious specimen of typography. A copy is in the possession of 
W. K Skillicorne, Esq., J.P. 

Cheltenham Manor Act. 

An Act for the settling or confirmation of the Copyhold Estates and customs of 
the tenants in base tenure of the Manor of Cheltenham, in the County of 
Gloucester, and of the Manor of Ashley, otherwise called Charlton Kings, in the 
aaid County, being holden of the said Manor of Cheltenham, according to the 
agreement thereof, made between the King's most excellent Majesty, being then 
Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and York, and Earl of Chester, Lord of the 
said Manor of Cheltenham, and Giles Greville, Esq., Lord of the said Manor of 
Ashley, and the said copyholders of the said several manors. 

Whereas, within the said Manor of Cheltenham, and within the said Manor of 
Ashley, the said copyholders in base tenure of those several manors, having 
customary estates of inheritance, to them and to their heirs in their several 
customary messuages and lands, many questions and doubts have been of late 
made, touching their customs ; many of them being uncertain, unreasonable, and 
inconvenient, that it hath caused many suits at law, and great expenses in money, 
and much loss and trouble, inasmuch that in many years past the said manors 
have yielded but little profit, either to lords or tenants ; for remedy whereof, and 
for avoiding of suits, and for the quieting and establishing of the estates of 
tenants and their posterity within the said manors, there being a composition 
made, and an agreement had between our said Sovereign Lord the King's Majesty, 
being then Prince of Wales, and Lord of the said Manor of Cheltenham, with 
the advice of his then council and commissioners of his revenue, and the copy- 
holders of the said manor, and between the said Giles Greville, Esq., Lord of the 
said Manor of Ashley, and of the copyholders of that manor, according to which 
compositions and agreements it is numbly desired by the said copyholders and 
tenanls of the said several manors, that it be enacted, 

And be it enacted, by the King's most excellent Majesty, the lords spiritual and 
temporal, and the commons in this present parliament assembled, and by the 
authority of the same parliament, that the said copyholders of the said manors, 
and either of them, shall and may henceforth hold the said customary messuages 
and lands of the said manors, severally and respectively, by copies of court-roll, 
to them and to their heirs, by suit of court, and by the yearly rents, works, silver. 



52 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Peter-pence, and bread-reap money to be paid annually and respectively, double 
the rents only being payable by those copyholders not adding thereunto the work, 
reap-raoney, Peter-pence, and other paymeuts. 

And further, that the said copyholders, upon their several deaths and surrenders 
shall pay for and in lieu of an heriot, the sum of thirty shillings, for every 
messuage, and the lands and tenements thereunto belonging, or therewith used, 
and so according to that rate for the quantity, more or less, if it should happen, 
any messuage, lands, or tenements to be divided ; and that the descents of the 
said customary lands shall be from henceforth in fee simple, according to the rules 
of common law. 

Saving only, and be it also enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that if any copy- 
holders of the said manors, or of either of them, shall die without male issue, 
having daughters, that the eldest daughter shall inherit solely, as the eldest son 
ought to do by the course of the common law; and if any of the said customary 
lands or tenements shall, or ought, according to the course of common law, to 
descend to any sisters, aunts, or female cousins, that then, in every such case, the 
eldest sister, aunt, or female cousin, shall inherit the said lands or tenements solely 
aad alone. 

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that all and every of the 
copyholders, of the said several manors, for the time being, shall and may 
surrender their several tenements and lands customary, or any part thereof, to the 
use of any person or persons, as well in open court before the steward of the said 
manors, for the time being, as out oi court, before two copyholders at the least of 
the said manors respectively ; and shall and may, likewise, make a grant of their 
several lands and messuages customary, or any part or parts thereof, to any person 
or persons, for the granter's life, and 12 years after his decease, or for 12 or any 
less number of years, according as now the said copyholders may do, by the custom 
of the said copyholders paying to the said lords, severally and respectively, upon 
every grant for life, and 12 years, of a messuage with the lands and tenements 
thereunto belonging or therewith used, one whole year's ancient rent for a fine, 
and so according to the quantity of lands to be granted. 

And be it likewise enacted by the authority aforesaid, that it shall and may be 
lawful, for every of the copyholders of the said manors, for the time being, to 
grant, limit, and assign, all, or any part of their several customary messuages and 
lands, to any of their wives, for the term of the life of any wife, for her jointure, 
paying a fine to the lords of the said manors respectively, upon every such grart 
of a whole messuage, with the lands and tenements thereunto belonging, or there- 
with used, half-a-year's ancient rent; and so, likewise, according to the quantity 
of the lands so granted ; and that ali and every such grants, limitations and 
assignments, so to be made as is aforesaid, shall be made either in open court, 
before the stewards of those several manors respectively, or out of court before tw r o 
copyholders at the least of the said several manors respectively. And that such of 
the said surrenders, grants, limitations, and assignments, as shall be made out of 
court, shall be presented at the next public court of the said manors respectively 
to be holden upon lawful summons by those copyholders before whom such 
surrenders, grants, limitations and assignments, shall be made, or the survivor of 
them, upon pain of forfeiture to the lord of the manor within which the default, 
shall be, ten shillings a-piece, to be levied or recovered by actions of debt, or 
distress, as shall seem good to the lord or the steward, or stewards of the said 
respective courts. And upon default of presenting such surrenders, grants,, 
limitations, and assignments, at every public court that shall be holden as afore- 
said, they shall forfeit such a sum as shall be imposed upon them by the steward 
or stewards of the said manors respectively, so that none of the said fines, so to 
be imposed, exceed the sum of twenty shil'ings a-piece for any one default ; and. 



RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 53 

every such fine, so to be imposed, shall and may be levied and recovered as afore- 
said. 

And be it also enacted that such grants, limitations, and assignments, as 
aforesaid, shall be enrolled in the said court of the said several manors respectively 
paying to the steward for the enrolling and engrossing thereof, such fees as hath 
been accustomed. 

Provided always, that all grants, at any time heretofore made, for the life of 
the granter and twelve years after, or of or for any lesser terra, according to the 
custom heretofore used, shall and may be enjoyed accordingly. 

And further, be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the wives of all and 
every the cGpvholders of the said manors, and every of them, shall, trom hence- 
forth, have for dower, during their lives, the third part only of their husbands' 
customary lands; and the said third part to be set apart and assigned to them by 
the homage of the court wherein the presentment of the death of the husband 
shall be presented, or within such time next after the said court as shall be 
limited by the stewards in that behalf. But all such wife and wives as shall here- 
after accept and take a jointure of their husbands' customary lands, within the said 
manors, or either of them, by grant, limitation, or assignment, as aforesaid, before 
her marriage, or shall accept of such a jointure after marriage, and agree there- 
unto, after the death of her said husband, shall be concluded and barred to demand 
any dower of those or eustomary lands of such husband, within the said manors, 
or either of them. 

Provided always, that women now living, being heretofore wives of any of the 
copyholders of the said manors, or either of them, dying tenants, and also the now 
wives of any of the copyholders of the said manors, or either of them, shall, and 
may enjoy the customary lands of the now or late husband's dying tenants, for 
thair lives and twelve years afterwards, as if this act had never been had or made. 

And further, be it enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that all and every the 
wife or wives of the copyholders of the said manors, or either of them, which 
shall join in any grant or surrender, with her or their husbands, of any the 
customary messuages or lands, being first solely or secretly examined in court, 
according to the custom there, shall be concluded and barred afterwards to claim 
any right, title, or estate, whatsoever, or in those lands so by her surrendered 
granted as aforesaid. 

Be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that no husband which shall 
hereafter be married to a wife, seised of any copyhold laud within the said manors, 
shall have any power, right, or interest, by surviving the wife and fining with the 
lord, or otherwise, by customs of the said manors, or either of them to have, hold, 
or keep, or otherwise to convey or dispose of the said lands from the right heir of 
the said wife; or that any woman which hereafter shall be married to a husband 
seised of any copyhold lands within the said manors, shall have any power, right, 
01 title, by surviving her husband, or otherwise by the custom of the said manors, 
to have, hold, or keep, or otherwise to convey and dispose, the said lands from 
the heir of the said husband. 

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that all customs and 
usages heretofore used and allowed within the said manors or either of them, 
concerning the having or enjoying of any of the said customary lands and tene- 
ments by any widow of the said customary tenants of the said manors, or either 
of them, or by any after taken husband of such widow, or by the heirs of any 
such wife or alter taken husband, or concerning of the descending of any of the 
said customary lands or tenements to any other person or persons, or in any other 
manner or form than is herein-before declared, shall be utterly void and of no 
effect; and that all other lawful customs and usages heretofore used or allowed 
within the said manors, or either of them, not being repugnant and contrary to 



54 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the true meaning of this act, shall be and remain good and effectual, and are and 
shall be ratified and confirmed by the authority of this present act. 

This brief and explicit act develops all that is required to be 
known of the legal connection between the copyholder and the 
Lord of the Manor. By virtue of its powers a title is given to all 
the property over which the manorial jurisdiction extends, which 
includes 1,200 acres, and upwards of 5,000 dwelling-houses. 
The Act is remarkable for the protection which it gives to the 
wife of the copyholder, so much so, that the husband cannot sell 
without her consent, which virtually gives her a legal interest in 
the estate. This clause in the act, (so different from the spirit 
of the common law which does not sanction the holding of 
Keal Estate by females), was practically illustrated by events 
which occurred in the town in 1835. A Colonel Eiddell, who 
was a very influential resident for many years, sold, at intervals, 
his property, which was of considerable value, and included the 
very extensive and once celebrated Wellington Mansion. At the 
time these sales were effected it was not known that the Colonel 
was a married gentleman. It appears that for some years 
previous he had not lived with Mrs. Eiddell, and therefore no 
suspicion of her existence was excited. The Colonel died in 
1825, and his widow, who probably did not hear of the 
circumstance for some years afterwards, laid claim to her Dower 
in 1830, and prosecuted her efforts for five years, until she had 
succeeded. This event attracted both local and general attention 
at the time. Owners of valuable property were surprised to 
find that after having paid their money they actually had no real 
title until the widow Dower's was satisfied. The following 
account from a local paper of the time will afford an idea of the 
means resorted to for obtaining legal occupation :— 

THE WIDOW KIDDELl'S DOWER. 

Considerable excitement prevailed in the neighbourhood of St. George's Plaee^ 
during the past week, in consequence of attempts that have been made by the 
attorney of Mrs. Eiddell and the homage, to obtain an entry upon the property, 
sold by her late husband, Col. Eiddell, for the purpose of setting forth her 
dower, in pursuance of a mandanms issued by the Court of King's Bench. Th& 
following He the particulars of the case : — 

The late Col. Eiddell came to reside in Cheltenham about the year 1800— and 
subsequently became a person who dealt in lands and tenements within the 
Manor, and during a period of 20 years much property passed through his hands. 

It is a custom of the .\!ancr of Cheltenham, that the Widow of a Copyholder 



RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 55 

shall have for Dower, one third part of all the property of which her hushand 
may have been seised any time during the coverture should the husband alienate 
any portion of it, without her consent. 

When the Col. came here he was separated from his wife, aDd having passed 
himself off as a single man, he succeeded, easily, in effecting various sales with 
different parties. 

The Colonel died in 1825, but the Widow did not claim her Dower, on all the 
property, till 1830. 

The claim for the Dower came on many poor families, widows, and children, 
like a thunder clap. The court of King's Bench directed a Mandamus, without 
forcible entry, to the Steward of the Manor to set out the Dower of the Widow; 
and in consequence, during the last few days, the Homage of the Manor has been 
paying visits to the different lands and tenements. The Homage was marshalled 
by the Widow's attorney ; and the great ingenuity displayed by the party to gain 
admittance to the different houses was worthy of a better cause. 

In Wellington-street, a few days since, they effected an entrance to a house 
during the temporary absence of the servant, who, when she returned^ turned 
the key on them, and kept them in prison the chief part of the day. 

In two other instances they succeeded in getting into houses, where there were 
sick ladies, one of which was the house of Mr. Vaile, detailed in our police 
report. 

In fact, the tenants (about 60) against whom this claim is made, have been kept 
in a state of siege for some days, by the visits of the Homage and the zeal of 
their commandant, the attorney of the widow. Dower is also claimed out of 
Cheltenham Chapel and burying ground, which the belligerents hope, it is said, 
to sain possession of by following some funeral procession {Cheltenham Fres 
Press, June 20, 1835). 

The Manor Act is also notable for the valid manner in which 
it secures the rights and privileges of the Manor tenant in 
reference to the payment of fees. This is evident from the few 
litigations that have taken place between " the Lord and bis 
holders," and when a legal dispute has arisen the copyholder 
has invariably gained the victory. A modern practice of 
multiplying surrenders and fees had arisen, and it was resolved 
to test the legality of the same by taking a case to a Superior 
Law Court. A public meeting was accordingly held of the 
Cheltenham Copyholders on February 21, 1853, at which Sir 
William Eussell, Bart., M.P., Lord of the Manor of Charlton, 
presided. Kesolutions were then passed in defence of the tenants, 
rights, and it was determined to prosecute their claims. The 
Court of Queen's Bench decided in favour of the copyholder 
on the question of fees and against the practice of the local 
Court — thus bearing testimony to the liberal and protective 
character of our Manor Act. At this meeting facts were 
adduced which strikingly manifest the ancient practices of the 
court compared with the present. In supporting the resolutions 



56 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM* 

two resident legal gentlemen of considerable practice in copyhold 
conveyancing, mentioned incidents which, from their historical 
bearing, we here record. S. H. Gael, Esq , barrister at law, 
remarked ce that the ancient custom of the Manor was, that when 
a party was possessed of several lots of copyhold property, the 
whole might be sold or devised in one lot or mortgaged, in one. 
document, and on the payment of one fee. This custom of late 
years had been broke in upon, and a seperate fee was now 
demanded upon every seperate lot of land, and in cases of trust,, 
for every separate name inserted in the trust deed." J. Bubb ? 
Esq., observed "To prove that one surrender was sufficient in 
law and custom for seperate lots ox property, he might cite the 
case of the De-la-bere property, consisting of a tract of land 
from Uckington to Charlton, and comprising a vast number of 
separate copyholds, having originally from 100 to 150 owners* 
and yet this property repeatedly passed from 1760, 1790 down- 
wards to 1807, and was repeatedly treated as one entire property. 
If separate fees had been demanded for the De-la-bere estate, 
these transfers would have cost at least £3,000 {Cheltenham 
Examiner, February 23, 1853). 

Erom time immemorial two Courts Leet have annually been 
held, (and the practice is still continued) during the months of 
November and May. A jury is summoned, presentments made, 
and the offices of High Bailiff, Bailiff of the Hundred, Tything- 
men, Constables, and others of minor note filled up. A custom 
prevails which helps to perpetuate the origin of the Cheltenham 
Waters. It has been thus communicated to us by a long 
resident copyholder, Mr. C. Hale. 

After the business is gone throuprh the tenants assemble to the eustomary 
dinner, provided by the Lord of the Manor, usually held at the Plough Hotel. 
The discovery of the medicinal waters is perpetuated by the obligation on the 
landlord to put on the table two pigeons, which are attached to a ham, or some 
other joint of meat, and woe betide the unlucky carver if by accident or design 
they aTe displaced. Should a novice thus infringe the standing rule of the 
court he is sure to be heavily fined, as is also the Host should he omit to place 
them on the table. 

Until the past few years the Manorial officials had very 
important work to perform, for, prior to the passing of the 
Commissioner and Constabulary Acts, they were the only local 
sanitary conservators. We give some extracts from the Manorial 
Records which will strikingly illustrate what were the duties 



EIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 57 

incumbent upon juries at their annual assemblages, commencing 
with the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who was for five years the 
Lady of the Manor. 

Notices op proceedings op tiie more Ancient Courts Leet op thb 
Manor, Borough, and Hundred of Cheltenham. 

As to Waters. — In 9 Eliz., 4 April. — At view of .Frankpledge, an order was 
made to repair the sluice at the mill for the water to now into the Town. 

21st September. — The Miller at Cambray Mill was ordered to let the water flow 
through the sluice holes three days weekly. 

Order. — That the tenant of Cambray Mill should have a shiice at the lower 
end of his pond, in the place accustomed, with three holes, through which 
the water may run three days every week, one to be bored with a yoke augur, 
the second with an inch augur, and the third a three-quarter augur. 3rd 
October, 3 Elizabeth. 

Services and expenses of water courses, &c, were often districted, thus — 

1. Orders are frequently made for the inhabitants of a part to cleanse the 
horsepool of the town. 6 Jac. 1, July 26th, 13 Eliz. 

2. The inhabitants of the south-side of the street are to cleanse the ditches 
from the church stille to the mill sluice, 26th July, 13 Eliz. 

Presentment of obstruction of water in the common pool. 7th April, 6 Eliz. 

There appears to have been a common fountain or well at view of Frankpledge. 
4 Eliz., 11th October. It was 

Ordered. — That no one place things within 12 feet of the common fountain, 
and in 44 Eliz., a person was presented for having taken and carried a post 
and heavy weight from the common fountain in Cheltenham street, 

As to Wats. — 27th Feb., 5 Jac, 1. — Ordinance against driving any cart* 
wain, or cattle, through the church path. 

1st April, 6 Jac. — Presentment of making saw-pit in the highway. 

T license to erect a porch to a house upon the street. 

9th Oct., 15 Jac. — Order to cut trees overhanging a highway. 

2nd. April, 2 Eliz. — Order to make a causeway in the street. 

Srd April, 1616. — Order for every householder, from the upper end of the 
town of Cheltenham to the lower end thereof, to pitch and pave before their 
houses the full breadth of five feet, whereby every passenger may travel thereupon . 

As to Nuisances. — 7th April, 6 Eliz.— Presentment of the nuisance of a 
jakes and order to remove it. 

Order to abate a gutter through which offensive matter was conducted to the 
King's highway. 

Nuisances to Private Persons. — 5th Dec, 7 Jac. — Order to John Hall to 
remove a dung-hill near the house of Wm. Stroud, so that it no longer be a 
nuisance to William Stroud. 

Lodgings. — 1st April, 6 Jac. — Presentment of cottages built without four 
acres of land required by the statute. 

loth April, 12 Jac. — Order that no person [not being town- born children) 
shall dwell in any house, tenement, cottage, or chamber within the hundred, or 
shall there remain above one month, but shall first give security to the constables 
or constable and churchwardens of that place for the time being to save the same 
parish harmless from all damages that shall arise by them, and that do person that 



58 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

hath come and dwelt in any parish within this hundred, since the last date, 
without security given as aforesaid, shall remain one month after this date, upon 
paine that every such person shall forfeit for every month that he shall so continue 
without security given as aforesaid, &c. 

Nothing is more common than presentments, that householders received inmates 
without taking security to exonerate the parish, and fines are imposed upon the 
inmates and their receivers. 6 Jac. 1., April, 1616. 

As to Eire Engines. — 15th April, 12 Jac— -Every malster within the town of 
Cheltenham shall pay and provide before Whitsontyde next one or more buckets 
of leather, to be ready in their houses against any casualty of fire, and that every 
other able inhabitant of the towne shall pay all such sums of money as the 
constables and churchwardens, or the more part of them, shall tax upon them for 
the buying and making of sufficient ladders, rooches, and other small hooks, to be 
necessarily used at time of need (regard being had of such persons as have already 
bought buckets, or payd towards the buying of great hooks), upon paine that; 
every person making default, or refusing to pay his several taxation shall forfeit 
vi*. vii] d. 

8th Oct., 10 Jac. — Particular persons ordered to amend their houses and make 
sufficient flues or chimneys against danger of fire. 

1 609. — Order to a person to make a chimney two feet higher than the top of 
his house for avoiding of the danger of fire. 

Parties required to show their fire buckets 3rd April, 1616. 

Order that no man inhabiting the town of Cheltenham should burn any candle 
in any outhouse, at any time, without a lantern. 

Malsters not to make fires for drying malt after 10 at night. 

Every inhabitant of Cheltenham setting a house to a tenant, is to make a 
sufficient chimney or flue, well daubed and plastered, 4 foot above the home, to 
prevent the danger of fire. 

As to Precautions against Over-crowding. — 5th April, 9 Jac. — Frank- 
pledge. Presentment that Dobbins sounded his drum up and down the towne of 
Cheltenham, in the market, accompanied by ft. Clerke and divers other young 
fellows; Clerke following Dobbins with a truncheon, like a lyvetenant or 
marshallman, and proclaiming, that whosoever would hear a play should come to 
the sign of the Crown. This the bailiffe of the towne misliking, the rather for 
the neighbouring townes of Tredington and Prestbury were then infected with 
the plague, and the towne itself much suspected, and greatly^ doubted, that the 
infection was there also, sent them to forbear ; they reviled his messenger, and 
he had to go himself to suppress them, but they had departed. Their insolence 
«nd contempt of good government was punished at the Leet. 

As to Police. — At view of Frankpledge, loth April, 12 Jac. 

Ordered that every householder within the town of Cheltenham (except only 
poore day labourers, and other poore persons), shall pay yearly towards the 
hire and maintenance of a beadle, to punish vagrants and other persons, 
according to a statute, such some or somes of money as shall be taxed upon 
them by the constables and churchwardens, or the more part of them, not 
exceeding 6d.a-piece per annum, upon paine that every such householder 
refusing to pay the same shall forfeit for every such refusal lis. lid. 

In further illustration of the practice of the court at different 
periods we annex transactions of a more recent occurrence. Prom 



RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 59 

these extracts it will be seen that deaths of copyholders were 
"presented," and that the commonable fields were under the 
control of the manor. This then extensive tract of land, on 
which many of our most valuable houses are now built, was free 
to the inhabitants, who turned out their cattle to graze upon it. 
They were deprived of this ancient custom by the Enclosure Act 
of 1801, which gave the property to the lay Impropriator, Mr. 
Pitt. 



Clje presentment of ti)e Stomas* of tl)e Court fleet anfc 
Court 33aron ijolttw for tlje fRmox an* SuntlntJ of 
Cijeltenrjam on tf>t 18tlj Sag of Spril, 1710. 

Item. — We do present the death of Henry Jefferies, and that 
Henry Jefferies is his next haier. We do also present the death 
of Ann Ashmead, widdew, and we know not the haier. 

We do continue to order that Thomas White, of Cheltenham^ 
so keepe his mound in good repair, between John Ellis his foot 
ball land, and Thomas White, upon paine of six shillings and 
eightpence for making default. 

We do present the death of William Eobson, of Charlton 
Kings, and that William Bobson is the next haier. 

We do order that no sheep shall be kept in Cheltenham fields 
until harvest be ended in all the said fields upon paine of thirty- 
nine shillings for making default therein ; and we do also order 
that there shall not be any pigs kept within the said fields upon 
the same penalty aforesaid. 

We do present George Harris for the breach of an order made 
the last court for not cuttiug his hedges in Ham furlong, upon 
penalty of six shillings and eightpence, and we do further order 
Charles Harris to do the same in fourtown in the day time, on 
penalty of thirteen shillings and fourpence. 

We do order that no mannor of cattle shall be kept in 
Allstone fields until the fields be clearly rid, upon penalty of 
thirty-nine shillings for every man making default therein. 

We do order that no man shall keepe any mannor of cattle in 
Arle fields, until the fields be entirely rid, upon the same penalty 
before mentioned in the tything of Allstone. 

We do order that no man shall keepe not exceeding two sheepe 



BO HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

to one acre of land in Cheltenham fields on penalty of thirty -nine 
shillings for making default. 

We do present the death of one William Roberts, a customary 
tenant, and that his son William is next haier, and that he is 
twenty-one years of age. 

John Ellis. 

Thomas Mason. 

RlCHAKD WHITHOENE. 

John Ashmead. 
John Woston. 

Queen Mary, upon taking possession of the manor, let it on 
lease for a term of years. The lessees were the legal representatives 
of two ancient resident families- — the Lygons. Mrs. Catherine 
Buckler, and Eoger Lygon, Esq., leased, or "farmed" the 
estate during their joint lives, and they appear to have taken 
some interest in their property. To them we are indebted for 
the commencement of a record of events connected with the 
manor. The roll of the court is in a good state of preservation. 
The first entry is in the year 1555, the second year of the reign 
of Queen Mary. Some of the incidents entered reveal not only 
the workings and operation of the manorial law, but also the 
social and political character of the times to which they belong. 
In relating the descent of a family of the name of Holder, 
entitled to some land by heirship, some most extraordinary cir- 
cumstances are brought to light, which, we presume, are without 
a parallel in any parochial record. The " surrender" was made 
during the last year that King Charles held the manor, and it 
was transacted just prior to the sale to the Sherborne family. 
This curious specimen of the legal and social practices of the 
seventeenth century is as follows : — 

At a court held Friday, Sept. 19, Charles I. 1628. 

i 

I I ! 

M)\\ Hotifer 1KB. ^olucr Uoim ioltfcr 

I 

I ,; I I I 

Mm. loltfer jJWm. ©olDer $ic. 1§oUfcr Wlfp i°toer 

SHtlltam hotter tyt gnat mule Ija&utg a tuife ijtmsur&t&ing, 



RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 61 

W)icl) Imfe marrpetlj one J)ac&er, anil ti)t ttgrtlj, ant* J9^cfecr 
being a prisoner tu Worcester <©ai)Ie, tfye gaoler marrnetl) 
Jjtm to lu£ tfaugijter unfcer tlje age of 12 gtartf, anfc prtfmtlj) 
after tije marrnagc, tlje Same San JJacfeer fcneti), anfc afteriuar&£ 
one ©oiaer marnnti) tije £atti jaoler'S tfaugljtcr tofyom packer 
i)atJ -So marrpett, aittJ t\)tv tino afterfoartfS, iul)eu s1)> fame to 
age, Surrendered tlje tautf in court to otijcvS anti tl;etr l}eir£, 
anb ©ofoer anft Ijt'3 Satti fotfe are get libtug. barker nefcer 
pattJ Ijts' fine to ti)e §LorS, nor couljf f)c, because Ijc trietf 
j#es*«iljri|je sam* mx$i after $ig ntarnjanx ; anir s# 6nlnxr gameir 
ns thing frjr i\t warrpep, b^rawsje parte fafr hg (is marrjrajgpe 
Itritfr ijjt foiirxrjfor ^Rrj« Otflir Jris life antr g.ears JfofrijcJ Ijafo IrajJ 

This remarkable entry is a domestic drama complete in itself, 
The marriage of a female "12 years of age," and the death of 
her husband the same day, are enrious incidents, and such as we 
should only expect to find in the fiction of the novelist. 

In a rare work which appeared in the reign of Charles I. ; 
entitled " The Country Man's Councellor, beginning with this 
yeereof our Lord God, 1630/' (in the possession of G. Hulbert 
Esq., of this town, and whose family have been for a long period 
copyholders), the old manorial customs are thus quaintly detailed, 
• — " In the Manor of Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire, is a custome 
that a man cannot marry his daughter to any man, 1 neither can a 
widow marry without the Lord's licence, and if a man by his 
wife haue neuer so many children and dye, his widow may marry 
another man, and he shall carry away all the land after the death 
of his wife from all the former children, and he may many again 
to be a hundred yeeres old, with a girl of but 13 or 14 yeeres 
old, and she shall carry away the land from all the heires. Some 
Mannors doe allow the tenants of the same to let the land for 
three yeere, some for more without the Lord's licence, when in 
some others to let the same for aboue a yeere is a forfeiture, and 
neither, though he let it but for one yeere, may he let it out a 
second, till he haue kept it a year in his hands, except he haue a 
licence." 



62 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

We have now delineated the legal connection that exists 
between the owner of the manor and his tenant by purchase. 
Another very interesting branch of the subject is the ancient 
customs which the manorial officers practised. The lord and his 
steward formerly tilled the responsible trust of adjudicating for 
all criminals and other law business in the borough. This and 
other curious manorial practices will be found fully detailed in 
the next chapter. 



CHAP. VIL 

^ntimt ©ustoms of tJje JManor* 

FROM the first dawn of English History the Manor of Chel- 
tenham has enjoyed customs and exemptions of a remarkable 
and important character. From the fact of its being both a 
place of antiquity, and the property of Boyalty, it has been 
privileged and favoured by successive owners. So early as the 
Saxon King, Edward the Confessor, a charter was granted to the 
place, which was confirmed by William the Conqueror. Among 
the privileges therein contained, was exemption from tolls 
throughout England, which was confirmed by successive charters. 
In the reigns of Henry III., Edward III., and IV., the 
Cheltenham Manor was invested with additional chartered rights 
to a great extent ; and it is an interesting fact, that not only our 
Manorial records, but also the Parliamentary Eolls, detail the 
whole of those privileges with minuteness at the time they were 
severally granted. Henry III., six hundred years ago, gave to 
the borough a market and a fair. In following years, successive 
grants were made, and ultimately, Cheltenham acquired privileges 
of greater importance than any place of its extent in Great 
Britain, A few of these ancient rights will be referred to with 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 63 

a view to demonstrate that Cheltenham was once as famous for 
its chartered liberties, as it now is for its Spa waters. The 
inhabitants of the manor were exempt after the thirteenth 
century, from the many heavy taxes paid by the country 
generally, and from the payment of ail toll throughout England. 
The goods of all felons, felo de sees, and outlaws, within the 
hundred, as well as all tines, which then, and even at the present 
day, were the right of the crown in every part of Great Britain, 
the Lord of the Manor had the power to receive. The Manorial 
steward was also a justice of the highest authority, having the 
power to try and commit offenders - T a branch of this local 
jurisdiction was the holding of a ■' Three weeks' Court' ' for the 
recovery of debts, and many minor objects. This valuable 
privilege has never been abrogated by any subsequent act, and 
it is only lost to us by disuse. After the Court had ceased to be 
summoned for about a century, an application was made to 
Parliament for its revival, but without success. The loss of this 
ancient right is now no longer felt. The New County Court 
Act gave to Cheltenham the privilege it much needed. The 
County Court Hall in Begent- street, is open weekly for the 
hearing of cases, and the presiding judge, J. Erancillon, Esq., 
resides in the locality. 

The trial and execution of criminals within the Manor is also 
a tradition of long standing. Coltham-lane, was sometimes 
called " Hangman's-lane," and an oak which stood by its side 
was called " Gallows Oak," from a belief that the condemned 
criminals were executed upon it. This oak is yet remembered 
by many of the old inhabitants, and its lofty and gigantic 
appearance is alluded to by Gilpin, the eminent describer of 
picturesque scenery. From the documents of the middle ages 
down to a comparatively recent date, the designation applied to 
this spot sufficiently indicate its origin. In the Manor Eecords 
it is styled " Gallows Lane," and in the Enclosure Award "the 
Ancient Lane called Hangman's Lane." There are various 
persons in ancient times who resided in the town who are 
mentioned as having been " attained for high treason," and for 
other minor offences, and it is therefore probable that the 
sentence might have been carried into effect on the " Gallows 
Oak." This judicial tree stood on the angle of the roads 
leading to Charlton and Sandford, facing the entrance to the 



64 



HISTORY OF CHELTEKHAM. 



High-street, and near the site of Paynter's Paper Hanging 
Manufactory. 

SK#4S£$ - -- -'-■'-- Sfefe* 



gi§M^ 







MfJ 



Our illustration represents this oak as given by Dalrymple, in 
Lis plan of Cheltenham, published in 1806. On that map a 
turnpike is placed near the tree, which is described as " Gallows 
Oak Turnpike." In the grant of the Manor to the Abbey of 
Fescamp, in the fourteenth century, the expression " Gallows 
lands" twice occurs. This would imply that according to the 
practice of the times, that land was left to the lord of the 
manor to enable him to maintain the instrument of death. 
Similar language is used in the manorial records of Sheepscombe, 
near Stroud ; — " Sir Anthony Kicgston, lord of the manor of 
Painswick, had a gallows erected on Sheepscombe Green, for the 
punishment of insurgents in the reign of Edward VI., and a 
prison built in Painswick for the confinement of offenders, and 
gave three estates to his lordship, now called Gallows lands ; 
one to maintain the gallows ; a second to keep two ladders 
always ready ; and the third for halters ; and provided that the 
ty thing man of this ty thing should be hangman, and have an 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 65 

acre of land for his services, which is now called Hangman's 
Acre" (Rudge). 

Other privileges were the election of a Coroner, who acted 
only for the manor ; exemption from supporting the eldest sons 
of Kings ; the right of sending two Parliamentary representatives, 
and also of choosing justices of the peace. Cheltenham, indeed, 
possessed rights to an immense extent ; it formed an independent 
district uncontrolled by statute laws of the realm, and so many 
and extended were its judicial privileges, that it had the pow r er 
of erecting a pillory and a gallows, for the punishment of 
prisoners tried at its own local court. . 

These interesting facts, we have before remarked, have been 
elicited both from manorial and national records. It is gratifying 
to be enabled to confirm their correctness by publishing their 
recapitulation from an invaluable M.S. John Prinn, Esq., an 
ancestor of the well known Prinn family, of Charlton Park, and 
whose family history will be found in the succeeding chapter, 
was one of the most indefatigable collectors of unpublished local 
records in the reign of Charles II. He filled the office of steward 
of this manor in 1690, and the careful mode in which he 
registered the manorial proceedings of his day, proves his ability 
and faithfulness. He left behind him a quantity of manuscript 
books ; one of the number, written in a clear style, is now in the 
possession of J. S. Cox, Esq. This M.S. work recites the ancient 
rights of our manor, with the dates when some of them were 
first granted, and arranged in the following manner : — " c Customs 
of the Manor,— -Within this manor are sundry franchises and 
lybertys, which are very rarely found in any other manor within 
the realme, viz. — To make justices of assize, justices of coram 
and of peace, custos rotulorum, sheriffs, high and low — stewards, 
high and low — bailiffs, high and low — bailiffs of the borough — 
eccheater and coroner within the hundred and lyberty. And 
that no manner of out-officers shall have to do within the 
Franchise or lyberty, but by a special commission from the Lord 
of the Manor and Hundred. 5 In the 31st of the reign of King 
Henry the Third, the abbey of Eescamp, in Normandy, exchanged 
the manors and hundreds of Cheltenham and Slaughter for 
Winchelsea and Eye. The King granted the said manors to 
the said Abbeys, with all laws, liberties, customs, pleas, plaints, 
and causes, without diminution of any secular or judicial power 



66 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

or things thereto belonging, and that the same manors and 
hundreds might be quit from all earthly customs and from every 
gift and subjection to barons or princes ; and that the abbot 
and monks might have all royal liberty and customs, and all 
justice of all things and business, that within the said manors 
and hundreds might arise ; nor should any except themselves 
interfere, because the whole of this royal gift is from all service 
quit, as in the charters of Edw. (Confessor), William (Con- 
queror), and Henry the Erst, Kings of England, more fully 
is contained — but if any one should presume any thing contrary 
to this gift and confirmation, he having been bummoned before 
the Exchequer, shall pay one hundred pounds of gold. By 
40, Edward III., the grant to the abbot and monks of Eescamp 
is confirmed of the manor and hundred of Cheltenham, and that 
they might have liberties, viz. — view of frankpledge of all 
tenants and resiants, cognizance of all pleas whatsoever, as well 
of the crown as of common pleas — their own gaols to be 
delivered of whatever homicides and other criminals, by their own 
proper bailiffs ; return and execution of writs, fines, amercia- 
ments, &c. ; neither the steward nor marshal shall enter in the 
same, and that they be quit of toll all over England." 

The 5th of Edward IV. states the terms of the grant to the 
abbess of Sion in Middlesex, to the abbess and nuns and their 
successors, and to all the men tenants residing and not residing, 
and all others residing in all and singular the manor and lordship 
of the said abbess and convent ; to wit, " to be free of all toll, 
carriage of treasure, and to make kings' eldest sons knights, 
marriage of kings' eldest daughters, aid to sheriffs ; charges of 
knights and burgesses of parliament, fines to the sheriffs' torns, 
suit to the sheriffs' torns, views of frankpledge, leets, law days, 
&c, wapentakes, assize of wine, beer, and bread, tolls of the 
market, waifs, treasure trove, shipwrecks, deodands, felons' goods, 
escapes of felons, and that they should erect and have gallows, 
pillory, and tumbrill for the punishment of malefactors ; and all 
fines for license of concord, and all fines and forfeitures of bailers 
and sureties, free warren, courts from three weeks to three weeks 
of all actions before the stewards or bailiffs, ward, marriage, 
and reliefs, &c, and all pleas, as before stated, with power to 
attach by their bodies, and commit to prison ; and that no sheriff 
or other officer of the crown shall have power in the said lordship." 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 67 

In the same valuable M.S. work is preserved an account of 
an event which also strikingly demonstrates the past customs 
and privileges of Cheltenham from time immemorial. It is the 
relation of a trial which took place between Queen Elizabeth's 
Attorney- General and W. Norwood, Esq., of Leckhampton, the 
then Lord of the Manor, respecting the many claims and exceptions 
which he exercised . The opening speech of the Attorney- General 
details the whole of the obsolete rights, as follows : — " Hillary 
Term, 32nd Elizabeth — Regina v. Norwood. — By a judgment of 
the Court of Exchequer, John Popham, the Queen's Attorney- 
General, gave the Court to understand that Wm. Norwood, Esq., 
useth without any legal grant, within the Lordship of Chelten- 
ham, the liberties privileges, and franchises following, therein 
fully set forth— "that all men, tenants, resiants and not resiants, 
and all others residing and not residing within the aforesaid 
lordship, &c, and all goods, chattels, and merchandizes of the 
same and every of them, may be quit throughout England from 
all pannage, &c, and from all other toll — from all soot and 
geld, &c. ; and from conducting all treasure, and from all 
manner of custom, and from all aids to make knights of the 
eldest sons of kings and to marry eldest daughters of kings ; 
and from the expense of sending knights and burgesses to 
Parliament, and from all fines and issues of the county and sheriffs' 
torn and hundred, and from all tolls, &c, although the same 
men were tenants, officers, and ministers of our said lady the 
Queen, &c. And to have and hold within the said lordship, 
view of frankpledge, leets, law-days, and wapentakes, of all 
men, &c, in whatsoever places to be appointed by the said 
William Norwood, his heirs and assigns — by the stewards or 
officers to be holden, together with assize and assats ; and the 
assize of bread, beer, and all other victuals, and measures and 
weights whatsoever, that to the officer or clerk of the market of 
the Queen's household, belong to do and execute, with all 
profits therefrom arising, and with soc, sack, &c, treasure trove, 
wreck of the sea, deodands, chattels of felons, outlaws, felo de se, 
escape of felons, year, day, and waste, within the lordship ; and 
that the said William Norwood, his heirs and assigns might 
erect and have gallows, pillory, and tumbrill, in any place 
within the said lordship, that to him may seem meet for the 
punishment and judgment of malefactors, which should happen 



68 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

to be apprehended within the liberties aforesaid ; and to have all 
fines, as well for licence of concord as other fines, and all 
"amerciaments, redemptions, and forfeitures, as well before the 
Queen, her heirs or successors, as before the chancellor, treasurer 
and barons of the Exchequer, her justices and commissioners, to 
be done, forfeited, and adjudged of all residents in the said 
manor — and also pledges and main-pernors of the same, 
although same residents, of the said Queen or others, lands 
and tenements, had held, and although they, or any of them be 
officers or ministers of the Queen, her heirs or successors, and 
although the said pledges or main-pernors were or were not 
tenants of the said William Norwood, or residents or not 
residents within the said lordship, and to have free warren in the 
said lordship, and to have and hold before a steward and his 
bailiff's from three weeks to three weeks, courts for complaints, 
all manner of pleas, accounts, debts, detention of charters, 
writings, muniments, and chattels, of the taking and detention 
of cattle and chattels of transgressors by force of arms or other- 
wise in contempt of the said Queen, contrary to the form of the 
statute, and of agreements, contracts, and personal actions, 
within the said lordship, in like manner to hold for whatever 
sums, accounts, debts, chattels, or injuries, transgressions, or 
agreements, and of any pleas, &c, and persons against whom 
such like complaints in the court aforesaid should happen to be 
moved, by their bodies to be attached, and committed and 
detained in prison, and to hear all pleas, and those by like 
process, consideration, and judgment execution of judgment, to 
be treated and terminated, as in pleas of like sort in the court 
of our said lady the Queen, and to have cognizance of all pleas 
of any contracts and actions, real, personal, and mixed, and all 
other pleas within said lordships ; and all other complaints, as 
well pleas of assize as replevin within said lordship, happening, 
done, or arising, as well before our lady the Queen as before 
the chancellor, treasurer, and barons of the exchequer, justices 
to hold pleas, justices of the common bench, and justices of 
assize, as well general as special, and that the same pleas before 
the said steward or bailiffs in court aforesaid, should be had,, 
held, discussed and terminated, and judgment given and 
executed upon the same in the manner aforsaid — and to have 
the return of all writs of every nature, &c, and that no sheriff 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS OP THE MANOft. 69 

or other officers or ministers of the crown should attach within 
said lordship, but it should be commanded that the said William 
Norwood or his heirs or ministers do execution thereon, and that 
no escheator, minister or bailiff of the Queen in the said lord- 
ship, should enter to do or execute anything ;' of which 
liberties, &c, the said William Norwood then and as yet doth 
usurp. Whereupon the said Queen's attorney-general doth seek 
the advice of the court, and that the said William Norwood be 
required to show by what warrant, he claimeth the said privilege. 
Whereupon it was commanded that the said William Norwood 
do appear." Thus we see that Queen Elizabeth's Attorney- 
General in framing the indictment specified the whole of the 
important privileges in use, or claimed to be used by the then 
Lord of our Manor. There are a few words employed which 
require explanation — "Tumhrill" — a cucking stool, or ducking 
stool ; a machine used for the correction of scolds and unquiet 
women (Crabb's Technological Dictionary). " Click" " guck," 
or " duck," in Saxon, signified to scold or brawl ; and " ing" 
in that language, signified water; because a scolding woman 
was for her punishment soused in that water (Lord Coke). 
" Ducking stool" — 'The woman was convicted upon an indict- 
ment for being a common and turbulent brawler and sower of 
discord amongst her honest and quiet neighbours (Burn's 
Justice). This was the ancient method of punishing scolding 
women : — A post was set up in a pond. Across this post was 
placed a transverse beam, turning on a swivel, with a chair at 
one end of it, in which, when the culprit was properly placed, 
that end was turned to the pond, and let down into the water 
(Manning's Surrey). " Tannage." — The feeding of swine upon 
masts in woods; also the money paid for the license of having 
pannage, and a tax upon cloth — (Stat. Westr. 2, 13 Edw. III.) 
iC Gelcl"-*- The value or price of a man or beast slain ; or a 
tribute for other customary things (Ibid). 

William Norwood obeyed the summons, and in person con- 
ducted his own defence, and in doing so detailed aU the rights, 
as well as many of the manorial possessors. There is not 
probably on record an instance of a similar case being so ably 
argued and explained. The defendant's address which took 
some time in delivery — travelled through many centuries of 
history, and manifested the most laboured research, as will be 



70 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

seen from what follows ; — "On the octaves of the purification 
of the Virgin Mary, the said William Norwood appeared, and 
said that he intendeth not that the said Lady the Queen should 
be prejudiced, because he saith that long before the exhibiting 
of the said information, Elizabeth, late abbess of the late 
dissolved monastery of St. Saviour and the Saints Mary the 
Virgin and Bridget of Sion, of the order of St. Augustin, in the 
county of Middlesex, was seised of the said lordship of Chelten- 
ham in right of her said monastery, the said late abbess being 
seised, Lord Edward, late king of England the Fourth, on the 
24th of March, in the fifth year of his reign, made the letters 
patent, to the effect hereinbefore stated (vide charter 5th 
Edward 4th) and he thereby confirmed all privileges to the said 
abbess or any of her predecessors by any of his progenitors 
granted ; and granted them powers to exchange the said lord- 
ships for others, and he granted them all said privileges, and 
that all the said charters and every of them should be expounded 
against the said king and his heirs, and applied to the best 
advantage, profit, and utility of the said abbess and her 
successors, without any revocation or resumption of the premises 
by authority of any parliament of the said king or his heirs, — 
notwithstanding the order, foundation of the said monastery, or 
the annual value or certanty of the said lordships, or other gifts 
or grants to the said abbess or her predecessors, by the said king, 
or any of his predecessors, in any of their charters, should be 
defective, or stated incorrectly. By pretext whereof the said 
abbess was seised of the liberties, &c, in the said information 
specified, and died so seized ; after whose death, Agnes, late 
abbess of said dissolved monastery, was elected and presided, 
and was seised of said franchise, &c, &c. ; and being so seised, 
she, with consent of her said monastery, on the 20th of May, in 
the 31st year of the reign of the lord, the late king Henry VIIL, 
by a certain writing, sealed with the common seal, enrolled in 
Chancery, granted and surrendered to the said late king, as well 
the said monastery as the manors aforesaid, and liberties aforesaid, 
to hold to said king, his heirs, and successors for ever. And 
afterwards by act of parliament of said late king, it was enacted 
that said late king should have and enjoy to him and his 
successors for ever, all such monasteries, &c, which after the 4th 
of February, in the 27th year of his reign, were dissolved, &c. ; or 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF TJIE MANOR. 71 

in any way came to his hands, in as ample and large a manner 
and form as the late abbots, abbesses, &c, previously held or 
enjoyed the same in right of their monasteries, &c. ; and that 
the sites of the said monasteries, manors, lordships, &c, rights, 
privileges, &c, to the same belonging, should be fully and 
effectually vested in said king, his heirs and successors. And 
by a certain other act passed in the aforesaid parliament, on the 
28th of April, in the 31st year above mentioned, and by divers 
prorogations, continued to the 24th of July, in the 3 2d year, it 
was enacted, that all liberties which the aforesaid late proprietors 
had used or could by themselves, their officers, or ministers, have 
used, within three months, next before the said sites, &c, came 
into possession of the said king, were, by said act, revived and 
vested in said king. And said William Norwood saith, that 
said abbess, within three months before the dissolution of said 
monastery, did lawfully use and exercise the liberties, &c, in 
said information stated ; and that the said late king, by virtue 
of such surrender and acts of parliament, was seized of said 
manor and privileges, &c, and died so seised thereof; upon 
whose death the said lordship and liberties descended to Lord 
Edward the 6th, late king of England, who also died seised 
thereof, without heir of body issuing ; upon whose death, the 
said lordship and liberties descended to Lady Mary, late queen 
of England, who married Philip, king of Spain, and the said 
king and queen became seised thereof ; and on the 26th of 
October, in the first and second years of their reign, by their 
letters patent, bearing date the same day, granted to Eoger 
Lygon, and Catherine Buckler, late wife of Sir Walter Buckler 
deceased, the said lordship and privileges aforesaid, to hold, to 
said Eoger and Catherine, and their assigns, for their lives and 
the life of the longest liver, by virtue of which letters they 
became seised ; and the said Eoger and Catherine being so 
seised, and our lady the now queen, of the reversion being 
seised, on the 25 th of June, in the 16th year of her reign, by 
her letters patent, now produced, reciting the demise and grant 
to said Eoger and Catherine, granted the reversion of the said 
lordship, with all rights, liberties, &c, as before mentioned, to 
hold, to John Woolley, esquire, and his assigns, from the death 
of said Eoger and Catherine, for the term of thirty-one years, 
by virtue of which he became possessed thereof; and the 



72 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

aforesaid Koger and Catherine, before the usurpation above 
supposed to have been made, to wit, on the 20th of July, in the 
28th year of our said now lady, the queen, died seised ; upon 
whose death, the said John Woolley became seized, and being so 
seised, on the 1st of October, in the 31st year of the reign of our 
said queen, by his writing, sealed with his seal and now produced, 
granted to the said William Norwood, all his estate, interest, 
and term of years, in said lordship, &c; by virtue of which 
grant, the said William Norwood, entered, and was and is seized 
thereof, and of the liberties, &c, and yet useth the same ; all and 
singular of which premises the said Wm. Norwood was prepared 
to verify, and prays judgment, and that he be dismissed.' 5 

The voluminous facts proved by Wm. Norwood, were incon- 
trovertible ; the suit was terminated in his favour, and our 
manor was confirmed in the use of its old charters, as the 
conclusion of Mr. Prinn's manuscript clearly sets forth : — " And 
her Majesty's Attorney-General having seen the plea of said 
Norwood, and examined the said letters patent, and that it was 
evident to him that said Norwood used such liberties according 
to the form of said letters patent, &c 5 the same attorney 
acknowledges the plea aforesaid to be true, and that he will not 
prosecute farther ; and judgment was given for the said William 
Norwood." The Norwood family were long and intimately 
connected with the place. Mrs. Anne Norwood, in 16 2 8, 
erected a gallery in the west side of the Parish Church. The 
churchyard contains many monuments to their memory down to 
within the last forty years. The Tryes, of Leckhampton, are 
the family representatives. 

Another source from whence we derive information respecting 
our local customs is a manuscript journal of the Eev. Prancis 
Welles, vicar of Prestbury, and Justice of the Peace for the 
county from 1715 to 1756, during the whole of which period it 
is plain that the writer was a most active magistrate, and a 
diligent and pains-taking attendant at Petty and Quarter Sessions 
and Assizes. This curious diary was published for the first 
time in the Law Magazine for May, 1861. The writer was the 
son of the vicar, and the family have, for more than a century, 
been connected with the town, various members having in 
succession filled the offices of Justice of the Peace, and Steward 
of the Manor. The first entry is — 



ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 73 

"December ye 4th, 1714. I was sworn in a Justice of the Peace for the 
county of Gloucester." As the writer is recorded by his son to have died May 
30, 1756, aged about 90, having been above 40 years an acting justice of the 
peace, he was probably born about the year of the Great Fire of London, 1666, 
and as he was placed in the commission of the peace, at nearly 50 years of age, 
and within three months of the landing of Geo. I. the reviewer reasonably infers 
that he was a staunch friend of the House of Brunswick. This opinion is 
justified by an early entry in the journal, which tells us that he bound over John 
Hill, of Cheltenham, and another, in 40/i. for the appearance of Mary Careless, 
at the next Quarter Sessions, for saying twice King George was a Papist dog ; and 
Mary Hill for answering, " No, he was a Presbyterian." Another entry is to the 
same effect. " Thomas Eyres, spectacle maker, of Gloucester, teu : in 20li, to 
appear at the next Quarter Sessions, for singing a seditious song, and saying he 
would do it whether it were for or against the government; John Gouddell, of 
Cripplegate, London, Gent, ten : in £20 to prosecute ; and William Jefferis, of 
Cheltenham, shoemaker, ten : in 6li. to give evidence." Mr. Welles issued a 
warrant against " Wm. Lyes, convicted by his own confession of stealing wood 
from Mr, Eaghot, to pay 2s. or be whipped ;" and in the following Pebruary, he 
grants a warrant " to whip Jane Clement, of Bishop's Cleeve, for hedgebreaking 
and stealing wood from Wm. Hobs." Jane Richardson is ordered to be placed in 
the stocks for two hours for " twice profanely cursing." Margaret Mealing and 
Jane Arcol are punished for "haunting ale-houses with lewd fellows ; and Prances 
Williams is ordered to appear before him on 13 April, 1715, "to be examined 
about her big belly." The examination appears to have been a difficult one, for 
a few weeks afterwards, she comes before him again, i( touching the aforesaid 
felony" On tbe 7th April, 171 6, Mr. Welles, granted a warrant against Thomas 
JNicholls and Richard Bobbins, late overseers of tbe poor of Cheltenham, "for 
relieving without a badge, and other misdemeanours." This was under the old 
statute, 8th and 9th Wm. III. c. 30, s. 2, which required, in order that money 
raised for the relief of the poor might not be misapplied, every person as should 
be upon the collection and receive relief of any parish or place, and the wife and 
children of any such person, cohabiting in the same house should, upon the 
shoulder of the right sleeve of the upper garmeut,in an open and visible manner, 
wear a large Roman P, together with the first letter of the name of the parish or 
place whereof such poor person is an inhabitant, cut either in red or blue cloth, 
£S by the .churchwardens and overseers of the poor should be appointed. 



74 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

CHAP. VIII. 

Ft'sft of mmg ©Stoma IF., a.d, 1471. 

THE town is incidentally connected with one of the most 
memorable battles of the fifteenth century. It was through 
Cheltenham that Edward the Fourth and his brave army marched 
to the plains at Tewkesbury there to decide the fate of the 
Lancasterian party. It was here that he rested with his 
followers and recruited their strength " with such provision of 
vittels as he had appointed to be conveyed forth with him." It 
was here that he learned for the first time that the military 
strength of the House of Lancaster was encamped within an 
easy march of his soldiery. It was from here that he proceeded 
upon the receipt of such information, and with his characteristic 
skill, slumbered not, but hastened onwards his army and won 
the celebrated battle of Tewkesbury. This event, although of 
local occurrence, from its very nature is of a national character, 
and one which at the time affected all Europe. The origin of 
this battle is referable to the heroism and military spirit of one 
of the most resolute Queens that ever reigned. Although 
deprived of her royal husband's aid, Queen Margarett actually 
fought twelve battles in his behalf. The Queen having been 
prevented from crossing the Severn on account of the city of 
Gloucester, which as well as Cheltenham was in the hands of her 
rival Yorkist, King Edward, hastened to Tewkesbury. She 
arrived there May 3rd, 1471, having travelled during the 
preceeding night, thirty-six miles. On the same day King 
Edward entered Cheltenham. "The news of the approach 
forced the Queen to make entrenchments, and to prepare for 
war." The King marched into the future ce Queen of Watering 
Places," with an army " consisting of three thousand infantry 
and a large body of cavalry." He arrived in the afternoon, 
having had a long and tedious journey in a very hot day. He 
pursued his career, and at day-light next morning, which was 
Saturday, May 4th, 1471, he faced his antagonists, displayed his 
banners and blew his trumpets for battle. " As the road from 



VISIT OF KING EDWAED IV. 75 

Cheltenham to Tewkesbury then ran through Elmstone 
Hardwick and Tredington, we may venture to suppose that at 
one of those places, King Edward and his army rested for the 
night" (Bennett's History of Tewkesbury). 

The visit of King Edward to the town during his march to 
the far famed battle of Tewkesbury, is detailed by Holinshed in 
his " Chronicle," and is here quoted verbatim. It confirms 
the fact that Cheltenham was then connected with w one of the 
high roads to Bath." The 'brave Queen Margarett had reached 
Tewkesbury by way of Gloucester through Berkeley. The 
King had passed the preceeding night at his camp at Sodbury, 
from whence he marched with his army over the Cottswold Hills 
to Cheltenham. Messengers had been dispatched from Tewkes- 
bury to acquaint him that the opposing army were drawn up in 
battle array, and they made him acquainted with the fact upon 
his arrival here. Upon his receiving this news, he " took a 
little refreshment himself," and ordered his army to have 
provisions given them also. This having been done he marched 
onward, passing through the villages of Elmstone Hardwick and 
Tredington en route, and took part in an engagement, which led 
to results connected with the throne of England, whose influence 
extends to the present day, by causing the lasting annihilation 
of the long standing jealousies that had existed between the 
rival Houses of York and Lancaster. The old and faithful 
historian before mentioned thus narrates the arrival and departure 
of this brave and warlike Monarch. " Edward the fourth, on 
his way to Tewkesbury, to meet Queen Margarett, came to a 
village called Cheltenham, where he had certain knowledge that 
his enemies were already come to Tewkesbury, and were 
incamped there, purposing to abide him in that place and to 
deliver him battell. King Edward thereupon made no long 
delaie, but took a little refection himself, and caused his people 
to doo the like, with such provision of vittels, as he had 
appointed to be conveyed forth with him for the reliefe of 
himself and his armie. This done hee set forward towards his 
enemies, and lodged that night in a field not past three miles 
from them." In ancient as in modern times the inhabitants of 
Cheltenham appear to have sided with royalty in all disputes, 
whether civil or ecclesiastical, and there are circumstances to 
favour the opinion that they espoused the cause of King 



76 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Edward on this occasion. The King was then the owner of the 
borough, and he was therefore a sojourner among his own 
people, and on his own land. By his grant the rent of the 
manor was received by the Eeligious Institution at Sion, but the 
lessee was Sir Maurice Berkeley, descended from the fifth 
Lord Berkeley. This nobleman, according to the accounts of 
this momentous battle, was one of the adherents of King Edward, 
and signalized himself by his brave achievements. The royal 
monarch on the following day, was declared the victor on the 
battle field. The undaunted Margarett and her unfortunate 
husband, Henry YL, were soon inmates of the Tower. The heir 
apparent to the crown, her youthful son the Prince of Wales, was 
murdered — the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Bichard III. 
openly assisting in the act. But such are the revolutions which 
Providence brings about. Henry, Earl of Biehmond, who was 
on the Queen's side, fled to the continent, and in fourteen years 
afterwards, slew this same Bichard III. at Bosworth Field, in the 
identical " suit of polished steel armour," in which he was 
victorious at Tewkesbury — ascended the throne by the title of 
Henry YIL, married a Yorkist, thus uniting the (( white and the 
red roses,' 5 and for ever put an end to the strife of the rival 
families. From this noble ancestry, the royal family have 
sprung, and our present most gracious Majesty is a lineal 
descendant. 



CHAP. IX. 

lEmmtnt Hocal jpamtlus. 

THE History of Cheltenham is honourably and inseparably 
linked with incidents in the lives of families, eminent either 
for their antiquity, moral worth, philanthropy, or exalted position 
in the scale of society. By birth, manorial possession, residence, 



EMINENT LOCAL FAMILIES. 11 

and the holding of parliamentary, judicial, ministerial, and other 
local offices, some of the most eminent names in English History, 
as well as in the annals of Literature, Science, and Religion, 
have become locally connected. In order to illustrate and more 
fully develop the past and present account of the Queen of 
Watering Places, we here place on record biographical and 
historical descriptions of some of the more ancient as well as the 
more recent of eminent local families. 



THE DE CHELTENHAM FAMILY. 

Cheltenham has always maintained a high character for being 
an educational town. Prom the time when the light of Christian 
truth was first kindled in our Saxon Priory, twelve centuries 
since, down to the present day, institutions have existed whose 
pupils, by their high mental attainments, have reflected honour 
to themselves and to the place of their instruction. Prior to 
the days of the Reformation our town was an importont monastic 
station, and the great mental influence which its local institu- 
tions then exercised, is strikingly apparent in the many learned 
persons that were natives of the place, whose names we here 
transcribe, with details of their lives and pursuits. 

The origin of the various christian and surnames by which 
individuals are designated, has long occupied the attention of 
antiquarians, and the result of their inquiries has been the 
revelation of many curious incidents connected with topography. 
Long prior to the invasion of William the Conqueror, and 
throughout the succeeding reigns, down to the settlement of the 
York and Lancastrian rivalry, it was the custom of the reigning 
monarch, when rewarding those who had become celebrated 
either by their literary acquirements, piety, or military skill, to 
append to their previous Christian name the place where they 
resided or were born ; not unfrequently some important pecu- 
niary advantage connected with the town attended the bequest, 
and became an hereditary appendage to the family. It is thus 
that we find so many of the old and valuable historians who 
lived during this momentous period, named from places that are 
now so insignificant as not to be known beyond their own 
immediate vicinity. In many of the accounts of these marks 
of honour, it is said that the parties are named after a town or 



?8 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

city, in consequence of the very great renown in which it was 
then held. For this reason, modern historians almost universally 
consider that the authenticated instance of a local title, is a 
sure proof of the former importance of the locality from whence 
the name is derived. When we consider the very early era in 
which a monastic institution was established at Cheltenham, 
and the high repute in which it must have been held during the 
period referred to, we should expect to find that it has given 
name, like the other places of consequence in the county, to 
men of eminence. That such is the case will be apparent from 
the evidence now adduced, and the fact not only adds a new 
feature to our local history, but it also confirms the idea before 
broached, respecting the ancient importance of the town. For 
full three hundred years a family named De Cheltenham had 
existence, and various of their members stand distinguished as 
scholars, divines, and as holders of local offices. The word 
" De " prefixed to the title or surname Cheltenham, is of 
Norman origin ; it corresponds with the modern French de (of). 
It was first used in England by the Conqueror, who introduced 
Norman-French among the aborigines, and in process of time 
many foreign phrases became incorporated with the Saxon 
language. 

William De Cheltenham was probably the first person who 
assumed the name of the town, for we have not been able to 
trace any mention of the title prior to his time. He flourished 
during the palmy days of Henry III., and took an active part 
in obtaining and drawing up local charters, about the middle of 
the thirteenth century. That he was an individual of influence 
and high legal abilities, is evident from the fact that the civic 
parchment rolls of Gloucester record that he was successively 
elected chief officer of that city in the years 1248, 1255, and 
1270. According to Prynn, he bequeathed the annual rent of 
a house in Smith-street, Gloucester, for the purpose of founding 
the chantry which once existed within the walls of St. Mary-de- 
Crypt Church. 

William de Cheltenham, a son of the last-named personage, 
was steward to Thomas Lord Berkeley ; he was also a justice of 
the peace, and filled various other honourable and responsible 
offices. Several houses in Southgate"Street, Gloucester, were 
awarded to him jointly with Lord Berkeley, by Lanthony 



EMINENT LOCAL FAMILIES. 79 

Priory, for the purpose of founding the monastery of Grey 
Friars on their site, which was carried into effect, and the 
building existed until the period of the Reformation. In 1341, 
"Only Thomas Lord Berkeley, Thomas Berkeley, of Cubberley, 
William Tracy, and William de Cheltenham, were in the com- 
mission of the peace for the county of Gloucester, which 
William de Cheltenham, with Lord Berkeley, sat and executed 
many commissions alone, respecting the peace in this and other 
years ;" and on the 10th of March in the same year, Lord 
Berkeley " received the King's commission with William de 
Cheltenham, to see carefully to the preservation of the sea-coasts 
of the county." He was also possessed of property in the 
Pucklechurch Hundred, in this county. " It was found not to 
the King's injury if he granted license to Ealph, Bishop of 
Bath and Wells, to give 20 acres here, to William de Cheltenham, 
in exchange for 20 acres here, granted to the Bishop and his 
successors. The land of the above William de Cheltenham 
being held of the Bishop by two shillings per annum for all 
services ; there remaining to the above William, in Pucklechurch, 
a mess, and caruc, held by the above Bishop at three shillings 
per annum for all services." "William de Cheltenham, one 
of Lord Berkeley's stewards, held part of £40 land and 
rent here." u William de Cheltenham held in Abboteston, 
2 mess, 4 caruc and 20 marks rent." Wooclmancote, in 
the Berkeley Hundred, having become alienated from the 
Berkeley family, it was repurchased by Thomas Lord 
Berkeley, in the name of William de Cheltenham and 
another of his stewards. A jury of landowners, appointed 
by Bichard II., to determine upon the rightful ownership of 
Hawksbury parish, in this county, decided " That the abbey of 
Per shore obtained certain lands and tenements called Wodecroft 
and Kildesley, within the demesne of Hawkesbury, from William 
de Cheltenham, without the King's license." 

Bichard de Cheltenham. — Great classical abilities, and an 
exalted piety, were among the chief characteristics of the next 
individual who is recorded as having adopted the family title. 
He is the first traceable person to whom the title of " Abbot of 
Cheltenham" is applied, which occurs in Prinn's account of 
Cirencester Abbey. He lived during the reigns of Henry V. 
and Edward IV., and was doubtless one of the Principals of 



80 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM* 

the monastic establishment which existed from so early a period 
in the town. His successor to the title was one of the most 
shining literary ornaments of the fifteenth century. He filled 
the responsible office of Abbot in the place of his birth with 
such ability and zeal that he was promoted to be the Principal 
of Tewkesbury Abbey. This marked elevation to the charge of 
one of the most extensive and richly endowed local religious 
institutions then existing, clearly testifies the high opinion of his 
moral worth and intellectual attainments which was entertained 
by those with whom he lived and died, 

Richard de Cheltenham was one of the most celebrated 
divines of the reigns of Richard III. and Henry VII. He was 
unquestionably regarded as the principal official of the monastic 
institutions of this county, Leland says " Stanway was almost 
re-edified and augmentid by Abbate de Cheltenham, tempore 
Henrici VIL 3 ' Fur many years previous to his death he was 
Abbot of the rich and extensive Abbey of Tewkesbury, in which 
Abbey he died in 1509, and was there buried. His tomb is 
situated in the south aisle of what is now termed the Tewkesbury 
Abbey, or Parish Church ; a visit to it will convey to the reader 
an idea of the exalted position which our ancient townsman held 
in the monastic era. It is a long tomb of altar shape, displaying 
all around it the genuine Gothic order of architecture of Henry 
the Seventh's reign ; on the body of the tomb, very richly 
carved, are various emblems of the dignity of the deceased, 
besides crosiers, quatrefoils and shields gu which the letters 
R. C. (Richard of Cheltenham) are conspicuously engraved. In 
a recess over the tomb, formed by a curious arch, is some tracery 
of an unique character. The tomb was formerly in a much 
more perfect state than at present, for Willis relates that he saw 
the effigy of the Abbot reclining upon it in full proportion, not 
a vestige of which now remains. This memorial of native worth 
was restored by order of the authorities of Tewkesbury Church 
in 1827, an act highly creditable to them, and one which will 
tend to perpetuate for centuries to come the memory of the 
distinguished deceased. Richard de Cheltenham was elected 
Abbot of Tewkesbury Abbey, on August 3rd, 1481, and con- 
firmed in great pomp in the September following. He assisted 
in his pontificals at the funeral of the renowned Prince Arthur, 
eldest son of Henry VIL, who was interred at Worcester in 15 02. 



THE DE CHELTENHAM FAMILY. 81 

Robert de Cheltenham, B.D., was educated for a monastic 
life, and acquired the degree of a bachelor of divinity. He was 
for many years an inmate of Tewkesbury Abbey, and was 
employed to transcribe the history of the period in connection 
with the accounts of the institution to which he belonged. In 
modern language he may be called a secretary, — " who was the 
registrar and chancellor of the Abbey " — a trust of some 
importance when the extent and income of the building is 
taken into consideration. At the time the Abbey passed into 
the hands of the Protestants our townsman was an inmate. As 
a mark of esteem of his past most exemplary career, the 
commissioners who seized the edifice on behalf of Henry YIIL, 
awarded to him an annual pension of £10. 

Eichard de Cheltenham stands distinguished as the third Prior 
of Tewkesbury Abbey ; he continued to hold office until the 
monastic dissolution, and had presented to him an annual pension 
of £6 13s. -kl. He was the last native of Cheltenham connected 
with this Abbey prior to its final destruction. The office of 
Prior was next in importance to that of Abbot. 

John de Cheltenham was coeval with bis two last named 
relatives, and, like them, was connected with the once extensive 
and richly endowed Tewkesbury Abbey. His occupation was 
that of chief sexton, and, at the confiscation of the Abbey, be 
bad a pension bestowed upon him of the same amount as was 
given to his last named contemporary. 

With John de Cheltenham our brief history of ancient local 
titles must close, for we cannot find any further mention of the 
name after the reign of Henry YIIL In the copies of the 
Parliamentary roils of Philip and Mary, quoted by Willis, and 
in the original book of pensions still preserved in the Augmen- 
tation Office, London, and belonging to <s Tewksburie late 
Monasterie/' are recorded the names, ranks, and pensions, of 
the three individuals last noticed. 

The period of time we have been traversing extends from the 
thirteenth to the sixteenth century, and includes the reigns of 
Henry III., the three Edwards, Eichard IL, the Henrys who 
succeeded him, down to the early days of Henry YIIL That 
during this long and momentous epoch, there were many more 
members of the De Cheltenham family than are now ascertainable, 
is a highly probable conjecture. Five, out of the six individuals 

G 



82 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

mentioned, were confessedly no ordinary men for the mediaeval 
ages, and certainly reflect honour upon that town, the name of 
which they bore. 

EARL OF SALISBURY. 

William Long Espee, Earl of Salisbury, who was Lord of the 
Manor of Cheltenham, in the thirteenth century, was a person 
of high celebrity in his day. He stands alike distinguished for 
his abilities as a lawyer, warrior, statesman, and for " the spirit 
of exalted piety which he manifested." As a mark of royal 
favour and esteem, upon the occasion of his marriage he was 
created Earl of Salisbury by Henry III., who also gave to him 
the Castle of Salisbury, where he died. The Earl of Salisbury 
was for nine years connected with the place, and he appears to 
have watched over the interests of his property, for during that 
time there is no mention made of any payment of taxes by the 
inhabitants, nor until after the manor again reverted to the 
crown, when it paid "two shillings aid money." The Earl of 
Salisbury took an active part in the public affairs of his day. 
He warmly espoused the claim of the infant Prince Henry to 
the throne upon the death of King John. He aided the 
partisans of the Prince in fanning the flame of public opinion in 
his favour. He assisted at the coronation, which was held at 
Gloucester, of <c the Infant King," who was henceforth called 
Henry III. When crowned he was but ten years of age. 
Besides the Earl of Salisbury, there were present the Pope's 
Legate, the Archbishop of Dublin, and several Bishops. This 
event occurred on October 28, 1216. His acquaintance with 
the locality was probably then first formed, for in three years 
afterwards the King, as a reward for his adherence, gave to him 
the Manor of Cheltenham. The gift would appear to have been 
an absolute one, for the Earl, at his decease, left the property by 
Will to his son William Espee. This person, after having held 
possession for three years, offended the King in consequence of 
his going out to fight against the Saracens without leave of 
absence. His departure from the kingdom upon this expedition 
was his ruin, for the king seized all his property, including the 
Cheltenham Manor ; and once again it became possessed by the 
crown. The birth and parentage of the Earl of Salisbury is 



THE EAUL OF SALISBURY. 83 

associated with one of the most romantic incidents of the times. 
He was the natural son of Henry II., by the celebrated Fair 
Rosamond, herself allied by birth to the locality. 

The grandson of Richard Duke of Normandy, Lord Clifford, 
came over to this country with the victorious William the 
Conqueror, and was presented with the delightful village of 
Frampton-on-Severn, in this county, by that monarch. From 
that period to the present, the Clifford's have had an interest in 
the Frampton manor, and have mostly resided within the manorial 
precincts. Lord Walter Clifford, who lived in the reign of 
Henry II., was the father of Fair Rosamond. After she had 
arrived at a suitable age, her parents removed her from her 
native village to the house of a lady residing at Woodstock, in 
Oxfordshire, in order to perfect her education. She manifested 
at an early period, an intelligent mind, combined with much 
vivacity and wit. All authorities agree in recording her to have 
been one of the greatest beauties of her day, and so truly fair, 
that the blood might be seen to flow through her veins. Fair 
Rose was a name given on account of her personal charms, and 
Fair Rose-a-mond was an addition made by Henry II. ; her 
real name, and the one by which she is distinguished on the 
family pedigree, is simply Jane Clifford. By the king she had 
two sons, named William Long Espee and Geoffery , the former, 
who owned the Cheltenham Manor, was made Lord High 
Chancellor, and the latter, Bishop of Lincoln. They were both 
persons of very high note and authority in their day. Their 
royal father was much attached to them, and in consequence of 
his own queen and children rebelling against him, they became 
his confidential advisers, were present during the time of 
his decease, and received into their hands all the official seals. 
After the lapse of a few years, Rosamond, stung with remorse, 
retired from the world and all its vanities, to the nunnery of 
Godstow, where she died in 1177. 

The nunnery, which had afforded a place of refuge to this 
victim of royal passion, was afterwards endowed by Rosamond's 
father and brother, who, jointly, for ever awarded to it, the 
rental of a meadow called Lichten, and also a mill, both situate 
at Frampton-cr •Severn, the village where she was bom, in 1140, 
now upwards of 700 years since. " Rosamond was the daughter 
of Walter Lord Clifford, which lady, for her incomparable beauty, 



84 HISTORY Or CHELTENHAM. 

was reputed, with allusion to her name, Bosa-mundi, or the rose 
of the world 55 (Speed). 

The Earl of Salisbury was connected by marriage with a local 
family of high celebrity — the Be Spencers, whose representatives 
are interred in the Abbey Church at Tewkesbury. The Earl's 
relationship to the celebrated beauty of the age has tended to 
perpetuate his memory. The incidents in the life of his parent 
have proved a most fertile field for the historian and novelist, 
and it is a singular coincidence that the so long popular musical 
composition of " Fair Eosamond, 55 should have been written by 
an after resident in the Manor — John Barnett. 

The Earl of Salisbury was no ordinary man. He was evidently 
made for the times in which he lived — times of turbulence 
and change — which required moral courage and firmness from 
adherents to the side of Eoyalty. These qualities Espee 
possessed in an eminent degree. Like the Eoman Senator, who 
went from labouring at the plough to the imperial throne, and 
directed and ruled a nation, the Earl of Salisbury in the hour of 
need could cast aside the attire of the Lord High Chancellor, 
buckle to his girt the sword of the warrior, and fight in defence 
of his king and country. " The word William Long Espee, is 
of French origin, and signifies the long sword — a name applied 
on account of unusual length of the sword commonly worn by 
this brave personage 55 (Eapin). 

We have thus briefly glanced at this remarkable man's career, 
and it seems to have been an honourable one. The Lord of our 
Manor was sent into a foreign land " upon business of State, 55 
which affected bis health, and he paid the debt of nature. His 
latter end was truly characteristic of the religious man, as this 
testimony of the old English historian will illustrate : 

" Speed thus records his decease : — ' William Long Espee, survived not long his 
good services, who returning upon business of state into England, soon ended his 
days at the Castle ot Salisbury, with so great humility and piety, that at point of 
death he would not receive the Holy Eucharist in his bed, butupon his bare knees 
on the ground, which he moistened with abundance of penitential tears. Upon 
which great Earl this Epitaph was made — 

Ro}al-born William, flower of Earls lies here, 
A sheath thus short, doth Long Sword bear.' " 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 85 

THE BERKELEY FAMILY. 

By parliamentary representation, the possession of property, 
and the holding of judicial and military offices, and by residence, 
the Berkeley family have been connected with Cheltenham for 
many centuries — first, by the purchase of the Manorial lease in 
1466, by Sir Maurice Berkeley, and more recently by the 
election of the Hon. C. F. Berkeley, his cousin, Grenville 
C. Lennox Berkeley, Esq., and Col. Berkeley, as Members of 
Parliament for the borough, and by their elevation to the local 
Bench of Magistrates. A consecutive account of all the incidents 
connected with the county would alone pourtrav the intimate 
connection which has so long locally existed — the memoir of 
" the noble House of Berkeley'' being in fact inseparable from 
the history of Gloucestershire, In the early monastic ages, and 
also in more recent periods, branches of the family stand 
distinguished for their learning and piety. The name of Bishop 
Berkeley is familiar to all ; and, in his day and generation, he 
was one of the most eminent of theologians and metaphysicians. 
For centuries, in ancient times, the principal male representative 
was the sole administrator of justice for the entire county, 
holding at the same time a number of other responsible offices. 
By intermarriages and Boyal favours, they have become connected 
with persons of the highest rank and celebrity. A screen in 
Berkeley Chapel contains their pedigree and arms, and on it may 
be traced the alliance of the Berkeleys, in past times, with the 
following distinguished families — Fitzhardinge, Howard, Clifford, 
Hemsdon, Derby, Campden. Musgrave, Stanhope, Mortimer, 
Lennox, Warwick, Mowbray, Cobham, Bruce, Norfolk, Warren, 
Shrewsbury, Bedford, Ormond, Butler, Dacre, and Segrave. 

The long pending suit which occupied the attention of the 
House of Lords during several sessions down to 1861, respecting 
the claim to the title set up by Sir Maurice Berkeley, brought 
the family history prominently before the public. The evidence 
then adduced by the claimant, Sir Maurice, the father of the 
present parliamentary representative of Cheltenham, at once 
showed the ancient custom of " Barons by Tenure," and of the 
title passing with the owner of the Estate. The historical 
matter brought forward upon that occasion, strikingly illustrated 
both the antiquity and importance of the family from the earliest 
dawn of English history. 



86 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The Berkeley s are unquestionably of Royal origin. Hardinge, 
the son of Sueno, King of Denmark, came over to this country 
with William the Conqueror, and having married Eva, the 
Conqueror's niece, and assumed the name of Eitzhardinge, 
settled at Bristol, where he died in 1115. He was a canon, and 
the founder of St. Augustin's Abbey, now forming part of the 
Cathedral, where he lies buried. In 1168, he entertained with 
great hospitality at his house, in Baldwin-street, Bristol, the 
King of Leinster and a suite of sixty persons, who were passing 
through that place with the captive wife of the rival prince of 
Breffini. Maurice, the son of this Fitzhardinge, married the 
daughter of Eoger de Berkeley, and thus commenced " the noble 
house of Berkeley." Eoger de Berkeley was allied to Edward 
the Confessor, and to the Conqueror. His original name was 
Eoger. He resided at Dursley; but after the Conquest, his 
last named relative gave to him the Berkeley Manor, when he 
appended the name of that place to his own. He was one of 
the monks of the Priory of Leonard Stanley, which he richly 
endowed. The two houses which had been thus united were, 
for some time previous, in a state of political rivalry : by the 
marriage a covenant of peace was effected. The warmest 
partizans on both sides were present at the nuptial celebration, 
and among the number were King Stephen, and Henry, Duke 
of Normandy. Eva, the wife of Eitzhardinge, founded a 
nunnery at Bristol after her husband's decease, and she remained 
an inmate until the period of her death. Her son Maurice was 
characterized for his benevolence : he founded two hospitals in 
the neighbourhood of Berkeley. He had two sons, who 
accompanied the captive William the Eirst, of Scotland, on his 
return from England to his native country, and thus was 
commenced the Berkeleys of Scotland, w r hich shortly afterwards 
led to the establishment of another branch in Ireland. Eobert, 
the eldest son of Maurice, who remained at home, and was 
brought up in the court of Henry the Eirst, appears to have 
inherited the religious zeal of his father. At his death, he 
bequeathed the greater part of his property towards endowing 
the Churches and Priories at Bristol, Berkeley, Hereford, and 
many other places. So benevolent were the early members of 
this family, that Smythe, in his "Lives of the Berkeleys," 
asserts, and the assertion is borne out by Euller, that they have 



THE BERKELEY FAMILY. 87 

been the greatest benefactors to the Church of the whole nobility 
of England — no less than eighty knights' fees being held of 
them by religious houses ; nor is there scarcely a church in this 
county — and there are many in others — where the arms in the 
windows do not denote a benefaction. The family have, on this 
account, an Abbot's mitre for a crest. Eobert, although twice 
married, died without male issue, and the line was continued by 
his second brother, Thomas, who married Joan, daughter of the 
Lord of Campden, and by her had a numerous issue ; one of 
his sons, William, became a Knight Templar. His eldest son, 
Maurice, who was created a Lord, and succeeded his father in 
1 243, was one of the greatest warriors of the day. He 
accompanied the Prince of Wales in his Welsh expedition, and 
afterwards sumptuously entertained Henry III. at Berkeley 
Castle, he having previously attended that monarch in his wars 
at Gascony. Lord Maurice twice married branches of royal 
blood. His first wife was Isabel, daughter of the Earl of 
Cornwall, King of the Eomans, and brother to Henry III. ; his 
second wife was the daughter of Credina, a baron of Lincoln- 
shire, and a grandchild of Louis, King of France. The next 
successor was his son Thomas, who was created a Lord in 1281. 
He was also a great warrior, having fought in twenty-eight 
engagements, and among the number at the celebrated battle of 
Bannockburn, where he was taken prisoner, and ransomed only 
for a very large sum. Fuller says — " His piety was as 
conspicuous by religious bequests, as his courage had been by 
repeated acts of bravery." He died in 1321, and was succeeded 
by his eldest son, Maurice, who was called to Parliament by 
Edward the First, in 1309, under the title of Lord Berkeley. 
He continued his seat in Parliament until his father's death, 
when he vacated it, and took possession of the family estates. 
It was customary in that rude and warlike era, (the fourteenth 
century), to contract marriages between members belonging to 
families of note, from their infancy. Maurice vyas married at 
the age of eight years, to Eva, daughter of Lord Zouch, and at 
the age of fourteen was the father of Thomas, his son and heir. 
Maurice was a great favourite both with Edward I. and II., and 
by them he was successively appointed to the offices of Governor 
of Gloucester, Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Justice of 
Wales, and High Steward of the Duchy of Aquitian. But 



3 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

having, in connection with others, opposed the claims of the 
Hugh Despensers, he lost the royal favour, and having refused 
to give up his castle and property, when specially summoned, he 
was taken prisoner, and died in captivity at Wallingford Castle. 
His son Thomas, who sided with his father, was also taken 
prisoner, and conveyed to the Tower, from which he contrived to 
escape, but was shortly afterwards recaptured, and successively 
imprisoned at Sussex and Berkhampstead. A change of circum- 
stances fortunately took place in 1326, and he was released, and 
the family property restored to him. Thomas distinguished 
himself at the siege of Calais, and at the battles of Cressy and 
Poictiers. He was succeeded by his son Maurice, who having 
attended his father on a warlike errand to Scotland, was created 
a knight in his seventh year, and in his eighth year was married 
to a daughter of Hugh Despenser. He died in 1367, and was 
followed by his son Thomas, who married a daughter of Lord 
Lisle, and among the issue may be mentioned the wife of the 
celebrated Earl of Warwick. He took part in all the principal 
military actions of his day, and was also eminent for his love of 
literature ; by his patronage and influence, a new translation of 
the Holy Scriptures was published. At the death of Thomas, 
the family line was continued by his nephew James, who was 
thrice married, and by those marriages allied to the families of 
Norfolk, Shrewsbury, and Stafford. He died in 1463, and was 
succeeded by his son William, who, for his valour at the battle 
of Calais, was knighted by Edward IV., appointed Earl Marshal 
of England, and by Henry VII. was created Earl Berkeley. 
Although he was three times allied by marriage to families of 
distinction, yet none of his children survived him, and his titles 
and estates devolved to bis brother Maurice, who dying in 1506, 
was succeeded by his son of the same name, who successively 
rilled the offices of High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, and Lieu- 
tenant of Calais, at which latter place he died in 1523, without 
male issue. The line was continued by his brother Thomas, 
who intermarried with the families of Huntingdon and Savage, 
and had issue, Elizabeth, afterwards wife to the Earl of Ormond, 
and Henry, his son and heir, who married Lady Catherine 
Howard. ' These persons were both court favourites, and Queens 
Elizabeth and Mary stood godmothers to two of their children. 
At the death of Henry, the line was continued by his grandson 



THE BERKELEY FAMILY. 89 

George, a man of great literary acquirements, and who spent 
his time in travelling abroad to make discoveries. By a 
daughter of Sir M. Stanhope, he had several sons, the elder of 
whom was unfortunately drowned on his way to France. He 
died in 1 658, and was followed by his son George, who having 
taken active measures to restore Charles II. to the throne, was 
by that monarch created both Earl of Berkeley and Viscount 
Dursley, in 1679. He was also a patron of learning, and 
bequeathed to Sion College a library collected by the great 
lawyer, Sir Bobert Coke. He was a warm friend of William III., 
and assisted him in dethroning James II. He was succeeded by 
his son Charles, who married a daughter of Viscount Campden* 
He was elected member of Gloucester, and in 1689, he was 
advanced to the House of Lords. His next successor was his 
son James, who spent the greater portion of his life upon the 
seas. He took a prominent part in several of the celebrated 
naval victories achieved during the reign of Queen Anne. He 
was second in command during the battles engaged in by Sir 
George Booke and Sir Cloudesley Shovel. He early manifested 
an inclination for naval life, and was in 1701 appointed a 
Captain of the " Sorlings." Soon after the accession of Queen 
Anne, he was promoted to the " Lichfield," 50 guns ; and being- 
detached from the main fleet under Sir G. Booke, to cruise in 
soundings, he fell in with and captured, after a severe action, a 
French ship of war with 36 guns, and a large vessel carrying 
20 guns, homeward bound for Martinique, and valued at £40,000. 
He brought both vessels into Spithead. In 1704 he was 
appointed to the command of the " Boyne," 80 guns, and in 
the battle of Malaga, was stationed in the line second to 
Sir J. Leake. In 1706, he commanded the " St. George," in the 
Mediterranean ; and riding at anchor before one of the Isles of 
Hieres, on which there were three forts, surprised the strongest 
and summoned the two others, which surrendered at discretion. 
In 1707, and when only twenty seven years of age, he was 
created Vice-Admiral of the Blue, and Vice-Admiral of the 
White. He married Lady Lennox, daughter of the Duke of 
Bichmond, and died in 1736, leaving Augustus, his only son 
and successor, who was made Lord-Lieutenant of the county, 
and a Knight of the Thistle. He died in 1775. His son 
Frederick Augustus, Earl of Berkeley, held all the offices, both 



90 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

local and national, which his father inherited ; and died in 
1810. In the following year his eldest son, William Fitz- 
hardinge Berkeley laid claim to the title and estates, which 
led to the celebrated trial in the House of Lords. The decision 
was given in 1811, and by the house refusing to recognise the 
alleged marriage between the Earl and his Countess in 1785, 
Thomas Morton Fitzhardinge Berkeley became the acknowledged 
Earl of Berkeley. The Countess of Berkeley, after the trial, 
retired into private life, and died on October 30, 1844. Probate 
of her will was granted in May 19, 1845, to the Eight Hon. 
William Fitzhardinge Berkeley, Baron Segrave,Earl Fitzhardinge, 
the son, and the Bight Hon. Lady Mary Henrietta Fitzhardinge 
Berkeley, the daughter, the executors. 

The will devised her real estates to her eldest son, and 
bequeathed to him her diamonds, jewels, plate, and the medals 
presented to her husband ; and other jewels, trinkets, and 
ornaments to be divided among her three daughters, to whom 
she also bequeathed many specific and pecuniary legacies, except 
to her daughter, Lady Caroline, who had requested that no 
money mght be left to her by the will. 

The will was dated the 15th of November, 1843, and the 
codicils, 1844, and are respectively signed " Mary Berkeley." 
Accompanying the will was a most interesting and lengthy 
document, entirely in her ladyship's handwriting, occupying 
twelve sheets, being a copy of a letter addressed to his Majesty 
King George IV., as to her marriage, and the reception at Court 
of her eldest son by his Majesty, who acknowledged him as Earl 
Berkeley. The letter is dated March 11, 1822, at Cranford, and 
is signed " Mary Berkeley," 

By this memorable trial a junior member of the ancient 
family was legally advanced to the Earldom — an honour which 
he declined. The facts are thus recorded in Debrett's Peerage,— 
" No writ has been issued to an Earl of Berkeley since the death 
in 1810, of Frederic Augustus, the fifth Earl; the House of 
Peers having decided July 1, 1811, that William Fitzhardinge 
Berkeley, Esq. , who then claimed the title, as eldest son and heir 
of the last Earl, had not made good his claim ; and Thomas 
Moreton Fitzhardinge Berkeley, on whom, by virtue of the above 
decision, the title devolved, declined, from a firm conviction of 
his brother's legitimate birth, to assume it." Thus, it appears 



THE BERKELEY FAMILY. 91 

that the eldest son virtually succeeded to the Berkeley Estates. 
He was soon afterwards popularly known as Colonel Berkeley. 
On September 10, 1831, he was created a Baron, and became 
Lord Segrave, and more recently he was honoured with the title 
of Earl Fitzhardinge. On December 8, 1835, he was elevated 
to the highest local judicial office — having by His late Majesty 
William IV., received the appointment of Lord Lieutenant of 
Gloucestershire. In this capacity, his Lordship did much to 
advance the social and commercial interests of the county. As 
the chief representative of the reigning monarch, his zeal and 
eloquence was called into exercise upon occasions of public 
emergency. In 1816, when the Duke of Wellington first visited 
Cheltenham, he was, with others, at a public meeting, deputed 
to deliver an address to the noble warrior. The oratorical 
powers of the then Col. Berkeley, were ably exercised upon the 
occasion, and were eulogised by the " Hero of an hundred 
fights, 55 In 1850, when a national effort was being made to 
secure the Great Exhibition of 1851, his Lordship rendered 
valuable assistance. He presided at a public meeting at the 
Assembly Rooms, Cheltenham, called in aid of that memorable 
object ; and by a munificent donation placed the chief town of 
the county in a prominent position on the subscription list. 
Earl Fitzhardinge was born in 1786, and his birthday was 
annually celebrated in the neighbourhood of his " ancient 
demesne, 5 5 with general rejoicing. 

Earl Fitzhardinge was associated with Cheltenham for half-a- 
century, until his decease. To the local charities and amusements 
he was a constant benefactor. The visitors and residents of a 
watering-place require out-door pursuits, in order to promote 
that health and vigour which they seek after. The sports of the 
field are well calculated to gain this great object, and the regular 
establishment of a pack of hounds has tended to acquire for the 
town a celebrity of which it may indeed be proud. This has 
been done by Earl Fitzhardinge, in a manner and for a time 
without a parallel in the sporting history of any locality. The 
noble Earl, at his sole expense, and without once making a 
public appeal, for forty years regularly supplied a noble pack of 
fox-hounds, and maintained a vast hunting establishment. The 
inhabitants, in order to mark their sense of obligation, on several 
occasions escorted his Lordship into the town in procession, and 



92 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

presented him with a congratulatory address. This has generally 
been done upon the first day of the hunting season, while the 
bells of St. Mary's have joined in with their merry peals. But, 
it was long felt that an act so disinterested as that of affording 
a locality an opportunity of hunting for forty years, deserved 
some substantial mark of esteem. Consequently, a committee, 
comprising the heads of some of the most noble families of the 
town and county, was chosen to collect subscriptions, for the 
purpose of purchasing a testimonial. On April 23rd, 1852, a 
public dinner, attended by most of the leading sporting gentle- 
men of the county, was held at the Plough Hotel, in order to 
afford an opportunity of presenting to the noble Earl a testimonial 
of a most costly description, of solid silver. As a work 
of modern art, it was pronounced by both foreign and 
English artists to be without a rival in any country. The design 
was happily chosen, being purely historical, and represented, 
among other matters, achievements of Fitzhardinge, the Norman, 
one of the earliest ancestors of the family (who has been 
noticed at the commencement of this chapter) — his Lordship 
being the twenty-sixth in descent from the royal Dane. 

The Cheltenham Examiner of January 7th, 1857, in noticing 
the completion of his 70th birthday, and, after reviewing the 
rapid increase of the town since the Earl's hunting stud had 
been located, observes : — 

" In estimating the mere pecuniary advantage conferred on Cheltenham hy the 
Earl and his family for nearly fifty years, if we put their annual expenditure at 
£10,000, the aggregate will amount to half a million of money. Such was the 
prosperity of the place in 1823, that it is on record, in the October of that year, 
there were building contracts under hand amounting to £450,000, and from 400 
*o 500 workmen in the building trades were engaged in the town. From the 
arrival lists during the season, we gather the names of the following persons of 
title : — 4 Dukes, 3 Duchesses, 6 Marquises, 5 Marchionesses, 4 Bishops, 10 Earls, 
8 Countesres, 53 Lords, 70 Ladies, besides a host of Honourables, Baronets, 
foreigners of title, and other persons of distinction." 

With the exception of a few months pending a decision, the 
Berkeley family have represented Cheltenham in Parliament 
since 1832. The Hon. C. F. Berkeley had a seat in the House 
of Commons for sixteen years, and his cousin, Grenville C. L. 
Berkeley, Esq., for the following four years, after which Mr. 



THE BERKELEY FAMILY. 93 

Craven Berkeley was reinstated ; and at his decease, his nephew, 
Col. Berkeley, was elected. The Hon. C. E. Berkeley was, on 
Nov. 28th, 1848, honoured with a public testimonial of respect. 
This consisted of a massive service of plate, subscribed 
exclusively for by the wives of the electors of the borough. 
The presentation took place at the Assembly Eooms, and Lady 
Mary Berkeley and Miss Berkeley — the sister and daughter of 
the Hon. Member — were present on the occasion. The Hon. 
C. E. Berkeley was called into notice during the " No-popery " 
agitation, by a domestic event. His step-daughter, a young 
ward in Chancery, then Miss Talbot, now Lady Howard, having 
been educated in the Catholic faith, Mr. Berkeley was anxious 
that she should have an opportunity of forming her religious 
opinions unbiassed. She was then an inmate of a nunnery at 
Taunton ; and the disclosure made in the House of Commons 
and the Court of Chancery, concerning the circumstances in 
which she was placed, united with her noble family connexions 
and wealthy prospects, produced one of the most extraordinary 
demonstrations of religious feeling that modern times have 
witnessed. Mr. Berkeley received the public congratulations of 
all classes of Protestants, for the zeal and energy he manifested 
upon this unprecedented occasion. 

The Hon. G. F. Berkeley, besides his long Parliamentary 
connection, was also one of the Cheltenham magistrates. He 
first married the Hon. Mrs. Talbot, a lady allied to the Shrews- 
bury family. His second marriage was celebrated on August 
27th, 1845, at Cranbury Park, near Winchester, the seat of 
Thomas Chamberlayne, Esq., by the Yery Rev. the Dean of 
Winchester, to Charlotte, fourth daughter of the late General 
Onslow, of Staughton House, Huntingdonshire, and widow of 
the late George Newton, Esq., of Croxton Park, Cambridgeshire, 
and a lineal descendant from the justly celebrated Onslow, the 
Speaker of the House of Commons, who w T as a frequent visitor 
to the town. 

Colonel W.E.Eitzhardinge Berkeley, the Member of Parliament 
for the borough, is the eldest son of Sir Maurice Berkeley, oi 
Berkeley Castle, and the heir apparent to the title and estate. 
He is the Colonel of the South Gloucestershire Militia, and of 
the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, and fills various other offices 
connected with the locality. He was first returned to Parlia- 



94 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

ment by the Electors of Cheltenham in 1856, a second time 
elected in 1857, and a third time in 1859. 

We thus see how long and intimately this ancient family have 
been locally connected. Several of their more modern members 
are interred in our Parish Church, and tablets exist to their 
memory. At the period the mineral waters were first becoming 
known, Norborne Berkeley, Esq., M.P., took a warm interest in 
endeavouring to establish the town. A pulpit in the Parish 
Church was erected at his expense, and the velvet cushion and 
trimmings with which he adorned it, were in use at the time 
King George the Third and family were attendant worshippers. 
At his own expense he erected a draw-bridge, which united the Old 
Well Walk with the Churchyard through, Church Mead, the site 
of the present Eoyal Crescent. 

THE PRINN FAMILY. 

For nearly a century and a half the Prinn family have been 
locally connected. By the filling of judicial and parochial 
offices, and the possession of copyhold property interwoven 
legally and historically with the manor of Cheltenham, they have 
become linked with the past and present history of the town. 
Sir William Kussell, Bart., M.P., son of Lady Prinn, is the 
present collateral descendant of this eminent family. This 
gentleman, like his predecessors, has ever taken a warm interest 
in all matters likely to advance the interests of the town. He 
is one of the local magistrates, and was also elected by a large 
majority to fill the office of commissioner under the Town 
Improvement Act. At public meetings convened for objects of 
a beneficial character to the inhabitants, Sir William Eussell is 
often found presiding, — thereby giving his personal testimony to 
the value of the object sought to be obtained. Nor is he alone 
attentive to home. In the Senate House and on the Battle 
Field he stands alike distinguished. With true patriotic feeling 
he has fought in defence of his country, alike on the sultry 
plains of India and in the cold regions of ever- frozen Kussia. 
Sir William is also Lord of the Manor of Charlton, which his 
ancestors so long held, besides being a considerable copyholder 
of this manor. In 1853, he acted as the chairman to a public 
meeting, convened by the Cheltenham copyholders, in order to 



THE PRINN FAMILY. 95 

obtain the abolition of various fees which had been attempted to be 
charged in opposition to a practice existing from time immemorial. 
On that occasion, the returning officer of the borough, 
W. P. Bell, Esq., in moving a vote of thanks to Sir William; 
remarked that " He believed Sir William Russell was one of the 
largest, if not the largest copyholder of this Manor, and he was 
also a Lord of a Manor himself." 

In Colonel Hart's " Army List for 1881," it is said that " Sir 
William Russell served in the Indian Campaign from February, 
1858, to March, 1859, and was present at the repulse of the 
enemy's attack on the Allumbagh, siege and capture of Lucknow, 
(brevet of Lieut. -Col.) commanded the 7th Hussars at the affairs 
of Baree and Sirsee, action of Newabgunge, occupation of 
Fyzabad, passage of the Goomtee at Sultampore, through the 
Byswarra Campaign, including the affairs of Kandoo Nuddee 7 
Paleeghat, Hyderghur, and pursuit of Benhi Madho's force to 
the Goomtee ; also the Trans Gora Campaign, including the 
affair near Churda and pursuit, taking the fort of Meejeedia, 
attack on Bankee, with pursuit to the Raptee, advance into 
Nepaul, and affair of Sitkaghat. Several times mentioned in 
despatches, C.B., Medal and Clasp." 

Extract from " Hand Book of the Court, the Peerage, 
and the House of Commons, 1861": 

" Sir Wra. Russell, Bart.,C.B., M.P. for Norwich, a Magistrate for Gloucester- 
shire, Lieut.-Colonel 7th Hussars. Entered the Army 1841. Served on the Staff 
in the Crimea; commanded the 7th Hussars throughout the Indian Campaign, 
1857-59. Was Aide-de-Camp and Master of the Horse to the Lord Lieutenant 
of Ireland, 1847-52. A Liberal. In favour of the hallot, extension of the 
franchise, and abolition of church rates. Sat for Dover 1857-1859, when he was 
an unsuccessful candidate. First elected for Norwich 1860. 

Born 1822 ; (only son of Sir William Russell, M.D., First Baronet), by his 
second wife Jane Eliza, eldest daughter of Major-General J. Doddington 
Sherwood, Charlton Park, Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire, third Albany ; Army 
and Navy." 

William Prinn, who died in 1771, was a noted legal gentle- 
man, and acted as a magistrate for this town. His name appears 
to the declaration at the end of the Poor Rate Books for 
Cheltenham, from 1741 to 1763. 

Dr. Bell was a resident in the town, and a zealous supporter 
to the Lancaster system of education. A school on the plan 



96 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

was starled in the old Town Hall, on June 5 th, 1816. The 
Prinn family were among some of its best supporters ; and so 
successful were the efforts made, that the building soon proved 
too small to accommodate the number of children sent for 
instruction, This led to the erection of the present National 
School Eoom in the Bath Road, the foundation stone of which 
was laid by William Prinn, Esq., Aug. 23rd, 1816. In 1739, 
and at intervals for several years afterwards, the Eev. J. Prinn 
was preacher at the Parish Church, 

The first introduction of the Prinn family into this neighbour- 
hood, arose from a visit paid to Charlton Manor House by 
William Prinn, of Allington, in Wilts — the illustrious individual 
w r hose writings and moral heroism have shed such a lustre upon 
the family name. This noble mansion was then occupied by 
the Grevilles ; — related to the eminent judge of that name, 
whose families resided at Charlton, and A lie. Greville was an 
intimate legal friend of Prinn, and this led the latter to treat for 
the purchase of the same. Before this could be done, Prinn 
died ; but the treaty was carried out by his grandson, John 
Prinn, Esq., who purchased of the Mitchells, took possession, 
and resided in the Manor House in the Park. This was a most 
important event indeed, for Mr. Prinn devoted the whole of his 
life to the laudable pursuit of collecting and copying all the 
registers then extant, of the former Abbeys of Winchcomb, 
Gloucester, Tewkesbury, and also the records connected with 
the town and manor of Cheltenham. 

Mr. Prinn, like his noble ancestors, appears to have followed 
the legal profession ; for in the conveyance deed, dated 1692, of 
property which he purchased in the High Street, he is described 
as " John Prinn, of the Inner Temple, London." It may be 
mentioned, as a proof of the great increase in the value of 
property in the town, that the sum paid by Mr. Prinn in 1692, 
which was £160, secured to him three houses, adjoining to and 
including the Lamb Hotel, and building ground adjacent ! The 
great intimacy which subsisted between these two legal families, 
the Grevilles and the Prinns, appears not to have ended even 
with life. — In death they were not divided. — Within a few yards 
of each other, in the chancel of the Parish Church of Chelten- 
ham, facing the communion table, they sleep in peace. During the 
removal of vaults, consequent upon the Order in Council in I860, 



f 







THE PRINN FAMILY. 97 

the last resting place of some of the early members of this family 
was revealed, in a vault contiguous to the Grevilles. With a 
true appreciation of William Prinn's great abilities, the present 
noble family representative had the stone repaired and properly 
restored. The inscription is as follows :— 

"Here Ipeti) pe fcofcp of SSStUtan $hgmnr, &mt, toljo 
fccctas'rt tljffe life tty 19ti) Bap of $Jobr~ 1680, agetr 61. 
Here also foaS uurteU pe ttaugljtcr of SZSilltam $3rpnnr, ©cnt, 
s"f)c tirccas'eb vc 18ti) ttap of ^obr. 1687. SUscf Sun foi)Q 
fcu& I)fe tofaofo ant( incite on tlje20tt) Bap of Sugt 1697." 

Such is the simple memorial to the members of a family who 
have done so much to obtain the establishment of the eternal 
principles of religious reformation and civil liberty ! 

Various members of this noble family are interred in Charlton 
Church. The inscriptions on their monuments supply us with 
dates that tend to elucidate their descent. None of these 
memorials are so ancient as the one we have been noticing, which 
enhances its value. The dates of interment at Charlton are on 
the male side, John Prinn, 1743, Rev. J. Prinn, 1743, W. Prinn, 
1771, E. Prinn, 1744, K. Prinn, 1744; on the female side 
K. Prinn, 1717, S. Prinn, 1728, D Hunt, 1772, relic of John 
Prinn, 1760, 

John Prinn, deserves indeed, a still more suitable and public 
memorial. But for his industry and zeal (while steward of the 
manor), in collecting all local documents connected with the 
town and county, these pages could never have been penned. 
To him we are indebted for so much that is important and 
interesting, and his faithfulness as a recorder is fully proved and 
confirmed by contemporary historians. William Prinn, was 
steward of the manor prior to 1742, and the entries on the 
records are made by him with great care. 

It is one distinguishing feature of this locality, that it contains 
estates, the property and residence of families, whose ancestors 
stand distinguished for the part they took in some memorable 
event connected with English history. One of these edifices 
occurs at the adjacent village of Charlton Kings ; it has, 
from time immemorial, constituted the manor-house, and is 
surrounded by very extensive grounds, laid out with stately 
trees, ornamented with a fine sheet of water, forming one of 



98 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the most picturesque of our local estates, and highly deserving 
of the title (Charlton Park) by which it is designated. This 
ancient domain is celebrated as having been the abode of the 
Prinn family for the past century and a half. The manor of 
Charlton has been possessed by this family ever since that period, 
and their present collateral descendants, Lady Prinn and Sir 
William '.Russell, Bart., reside at the Park, and are as proverbial 
for their urbanity and benevolence as their ancient ancestors 
were for their historical labours and puritanical zeaL Most of 
the ancient resident families of our locality derive their celebrity 
from the valour and courage displayed by some early ancestor at 
a memorable battle. The fame of the Prinn family at Charlton 
Park has not been gained in ancient times by the achievements 
of the sword, but by that far more moral and useful weapon — 
the pen. Talent, political integrity, and a taste for collecting 
and publishing historical works, appear to have been hereditary 
in this family. 

Preceding chapters have contained copious extracts from the 
local historian of this family, the former Steward of the 
Cheltenham manor. As with other families of similar antiquity, a 
change has taken place in the orthography of the name, the y 
being now spelt i, which will account for the use of the words 
Prynne and Prinn in this work. 

William Prinn, who first called this family into notice, was a 
Barrister-at-law, of Lincoln's-Inn, in the days of Charles I. 
Mr. Prinn was a shining ornament of the legal profession ; but 
being a man of strong moral feelings, he was disgusted at the 
licentious character of the age. He published a great number 
of works against the immoralities that were then openly practised, 
and especially on the sabbath day, which were countenanced by 
the royal family, heads of the church, and the nobility generally. 
Mr. Prinn left the bar, and closely applied himself to literary and 
political pursuits ; and, although in favour of the monarchial 
form of government, he was a zealous and uncompromising 
denouncer of the tyrannical conduct of Charles I., and of the 
evils of the then existing established chuich, opposing, at the 
same time, the claims of Cromwell. The King, becoming more 
and more absolute and intolerant, laid hold of any pretext to 
silence or imprison those who were exposing his usurped power 
in Church or State. To such a state of profligacy had the times 



THE PRINN FAMILY. 99 

arrived, that, immediately after the church services on the Sunday 
were over, drums were beaten, and the entire populace partici- 
pated in the most revolting and indecent acts. This state of 
things aroused the indignation of Prinn. He published, in 1633, 
his great work against the vices of the age, entitled " Histrio- 
mastix." He was imprisoned directly after its publication, and 
took his trial in the Star Chamber, on February 7, in the same 
year. He was defended by four of the ablest counsellors of the 
day. The Attorney-General, who prosecuted, aggravated the 
nature of the charge by many false statements. The information 
set forth that the book was written against sabbath wakes, 
masques, &c. ; " that though the author knew that the Queen 
and Lords of the Council were frequently present at these 
diversions, yet he had railed against these and several others ; 
that he had aspersed the Queen, and commended factious persons, 
which things are of dangerous consequence to the Church and 
State. 5 ' The counsel for the defendant argued that the work was 
not written against the persons, but the vices of the age. The 
Earl of Dorset, on behalf of the King, delivered himself of the 
following barbarous speech, which strikingly exposes the 
intolerant character of the times: — "Mr. Prynne," said he, " 1 
declare you to be a Schism-maker in the Church, a Sedition- 
sower in the Commonwealth, a wolf in sheep's clothing. 1 
would fine him d6 1.0,000, which is more than he is worth, yet less 
than he deserves. I will not set him at liberty no more than a 
plagued man, or a mad dog, whu, although he cannot bite, may 
foam. He is so far from being a social soul, that he is not a 
rational soul. He is fit to live in dens with such beasts of prey 
as wolves and tigers like himself, therefore I condemn him to 
perpetual imprisonment ; and for corporeal punishment, I would 
have him branded in the forehead, slit in the nose, and have his 
ears chopt off." The trial lasted several days, and terminated 
in a verdict of guilty against Prinn, with the following sentence : 
" That his book be burnt by the common hangman ; to be put 
from the Bar, and to be for ever incapable of his profession ; to 
be turned out of the Society of Lincoln's-Inn ; to be degraded 
at Oxford ; to stand in the Pillory at Westminster and Cheap- 
side ; to lose both his ears, one in each place ; to pay a fine of 
£5,000, and to suffer perpetual imprisonment." All these 
cruelties were duly carried into effect, and the victim was 



100 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

confined in the Tower. But the prison did not daunt the noble 
mind of Prinn : pens, ink, and paper having been conveyed to 
him, he wrote a mcst powerful work against the spiritual power 
of the bishops, and their profligacy ; which was published under 
the anonymous title of " A. Voice from Ipswich." The writer 
was soon discovered, and the earless Prinn was tried for this 
second offence, at the Star Chamber, in 1637. The charge was 
very similar to the former one, and maintained with the same 
bitterness and want of toleration. He was again sentenced to 
a fine of £5,000, to be placed in the pillory, the remaining 
portion of his ears to be cut off, " S.L." to be branded on his 
cheeks with a red hot iron, and to be perpetually imprisoned in 
the remotest prisons in the kingdom. " This sentence," says 
]S T eale, " was executed June 30, by the hangman, who rather 
sawed than cut off the remainder of Prynne's ears ; after which 
he was sent, under a strong guard, to Carnarvon Castle, North 
"Wales ; but that prison not being deemed remote enough, he 
was removed to the island of Jersey, and not allowed pen, ink, 
or paper, or the access of friends." At length the scale of 
Government turned in favour of liberty. Prinn sent a petition 
to the House of Commons, detailing his persecutions, which was 
no sooner presented, than his release was the immediate result. 
"When on his road to London, Calamy relates that he was met 
" by great numbers of people on horseback, with rosemary and 
bay in their hats, and attended into the city in triumph, with 
loud acclamations for his deliverance." That curious journal 
of this period, called " The Perfect Diurnrll," includes the 
prosecution of Mr. Prinn in the accounts which it gives of 
the proceedings of the Parliament in reference to the Civil Wars 
and growth of tobacco at Cheltenham. This proves the early 
period that the family was regarded as having a local connexion. 
The House rewarded this ir^rtyr by restoring him to the Bar, 
and ordered that £500 be paid to him out of the estates of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury and the other Lords, who voted and 
spoke against him on his trials. This was in 1640. He 
returned to his profession, grew immensely rich, followed his 
literary pursuits without interruption, and assisted in remodelling 
the laws at the accession of Charles II. With the wealth thus 
aecummulated, was purchased the beautiful estate we have been 
describing, where his descendants have since continued to reside. 



THE PRINN FAMILY. 101 

In the library of VV. M. Tartt, Esq., J.P., of Cheltenham, is 
preserved Prynne's " ^ljovt, legal, metitrinal, Safe, easy 
:{3rc£criptton to rccobcr our Btngtiom, Cljtirclj, Ration, from 
tljn'r present tinngerottS, tristracttbe, De^tructtbe confusion, 
antt foorSe tljan SrtJlam matuutfSe." — London, 1659. 

" Long prior to the sixteenth century, Charlton belonged to 
the Grevilles ; but it was purchased by John Prynne, a collateral 
descendant of that celebrated and persecuted bencher, William 
Prynne, whose collection of Records in three volumes folio, is 
not only one of the rarest and dearest, but at the same time one 
of the most valuable works connected with our history. It 
makes some amends for the old puritan's condemnation of the 
frivolities of the time, in his " Unloveliness of Lovelocks," and 
the other thousand and one lucubrations of his pen, and 
invectives against light and elegant literature in his " Histrio- 
mastrix, or Player's Scourge," for which publication, the Star 
Chamber, made him pay a fine of £5000 — -stand in the pillory — 
lose his ears — and be expelled the University of Oxford, and his 
Inn, by expunging his name from the books of Oriel College, 
where he was educated, and from Lincoln's Inn; to which 
latter, however, he bequeathed his valuable library, which, 
together with his portrait, are now in the New Hall of that 
Society" (Letters on Cheltenham). 

" Charlton, which was purchased by John Prinn, Esq., 
collateral relation of William Prinn, the most celebrated 
political writer of his day" (Griffiths). " John Prinn, 
collaterally related to the celebrated Prinn, purchased Charlton 
of the Mitchells" (ftudge). " Prinn' s manuscripts, of Charlton, 
are equally singular and valuable" (Dallaway). " Ths Prinn 
family were originally of Allington. John Prinn, Esq., extracted, 
or rather copied, the contents of all the Registers of the Abbies 
of Gloucester, Winchcomb, and Cirencester, the papers of the 
Corporation, Dean, and Chapter of Gloucester, and other 
authentic documents" (Fosbrooke). 

Such is a brief sketch of one of our resident families. It will 
be seen that integrity of character, firm adherence to great 
moral principles, and an indomitable love of truth, seem to be 
their hereditary qualities. These good traits appear in full force 
in the every day actions of the present family representative. 



102 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Twice has he been returned by large and ancient constituency 
to the British Parliament, on account of his staunch adherence 
to those principles of civil and religious liberty, for which his 
ancestors struggled through evil and through good report to 
maintain. His personal career as a defender of civil and 
religious rights, and his noble conduct in the battle-field in 
defence of his native country, will be unfolded, from official 
despatches, in a future History of Charlton. Sir W. Russell is 
a baronet by virtue of that honour having been conferred upon 
his father for the great services which he rendered as a medical 
man, both in England and Russia, during the ravages of that 
dreadful disease — -the cholera. We thus see that from the 
celebrated lawyer and religious reformer Prinn, down to 
Dr. Russell, the benevolent and philanthropic preventer of the 
spread of a dire epidemic, and his son Sir W. Russell, bart., 
the patriot, the statesman, and defender of his country — that 
this family have acquired their honour and renown by their 
intrinsic merits. On this account they deserve to be recorded 
on the pages of not only local but national history. The 
ancient family crest surmounts the massive pillars at the entrance 
to the mansion at Charlton Park, and it is truly characteristic 
of the military courage displayed by the owner — a Spread Eagle 
issuing from a coronet. 

THE SHERBORNE FAMILY. 

Among the many events connecting the borough with the 
past and present, was the purchase of the manor by the Sherborne 
Family. This was an important act when viewed in the relation 
in which it stands to the results that followed. Subsequent 
branches of the Sherbornes aided the carrying out of some of 
the greatest improvements the town can boast of. 

The ancient Dutton or Sherborne family have been identified 
with Cheltenham for upwards of two centuries, and their history 
is intermingled with our parochial transactions during a most 
interesting and important period. To the persevering spirit and 
enterprise of the late Lord Sherborne the town stands indebted 
for several of its public edifices and improvements. Prior to his 
becoming Lord of the Manor there were no means of conveying 
coal, stone, and other heavy commodities from Gloucester, 



THE SHERBORNE FAMILY. 



103 



except by the slow and expensive waggon carriage. To meet 
this inconvenience, his lordship, in connection with the Earl of 
Suffolk, who then owned the ground on which Suffolk-square is 
now built, sought for, and obtained an A.ct of Parliament for 
making a tram-road from Cheltenham to Gloucester. This 
important undertaking was completed and opened on July 2nd, 
1810, by a public procession and dinner, at which the Hon. 
John Dutton, his lordship's eldest son, presided. The present 
Promenade, and the walks and drives in the vicinity of Imperial- 




square, were enabled to be formed, in 1818, by the conversion 
of a previously uncultivated portion of the family property into 
attractive buildings. The Rev. J. Harward, and T- Henney,*Esq., 
assisted in this important undertaking, and apportioned out 
their respective lots of land, in order to form the present most 
picturesque road. " The site of the Promenade was formerly 
a brick-field, with a rude plank thrown over the Chelt by way of 
a bridge. The ground belonged to the Rev. J. Harward, who 
made an arrangement with the late T. Henney, Esq , the latter 
undertaking the planning out, and sale of the property for 
building purposes, for which it was understood he was to take 
one third of the whole, giving to Mr Harward, the remaining 
two thirds. This answered the purpose of both parties well, 
one finding the ground, the other the talent to make it profitable 



104 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

and ornamental. " After the trees had become fully grown, and 
the beautiful arched promenade formed, Mr. Henney dedicated 
it to the public. It is now, in common with the rest of the 
town, under the care of the Cheltenham Improvement Com- 
missioners, under whose Act powers are given to preserve and 
maintain these fine spreading trees. We present views of this fine 
natural promenade, and of the handsome structure which 
terminates it — the Queen's Hotel. 

Sherborne Spa, occupied ty the site of the Queen's Hotel, and 
the long and picturesque road which faced it to the High-street, 
was, as a token of public respect, dedicated as " the Sherborne 
Promenade." Still more recently the Sherborne family have 
shown a regard to the religious and commercial interests of the 
town. The population increasing so rapidly, the Parish Church 
was found to be much too small to meet the wants of the 
additional residents and visitors. To remedy this defect, a 
project was set on foot to erect a new church. After treating 
with the Government for a loan, and attempting to raise the 
requisite sum by voluntary subscription, the idea was abandoned, 
both sources proving unsuccessful. In this trying emergency, 
Lord Sherborne nobly stepped forward, supplied the sum 
requisite on mortgage, and Trinity Church, capable of affording 
accommodation for 900 persons, was finished in 1822. The 
present spacious Market House, and Arcade, with its Gothic 
entrance from the High-street, was also built by his lordship 
in the same year. Lord Sherborne's name appears as President 
of the Cheltenham Proprietary College, and Patron of the 
Philosophical Institution. He was also Patron of the 
Horticultural Society, the Hospital, the Provident Institution, 
and other local benevolent societies. Long before " fire 
brigades " were formed under local Acts of Parliament, 
the only means of extinguishing fires in the town, was 
by a fire engine purchased at the expense of the Sherborne 
family. The fire engine with its accoutrements of leather buckets 
and leather hoses, was placed in the North porch of the Parish 
Church, and continued there until a comparatively recent period. 

On a painted tablet near the marygold window, in the church, 
it is recorded that " In the year 1721, Sir John Dutton, Bart., 
gave a fire engine for the use of this town." The first modern 
market was erected by Lord Sherborne, where the late Public 



THE SHERBORNE FAMILY. 105 

Offices stood. The first stone of the building was laid by the 
stewards of Lord Sherborne on March 30, 1808, in the presence 
of the County Cavalry Corps and thousands of spectators. As 
the stone was being lowered, coins of the realm were deposited, 
and also a brass plate bearing the following inscription : 

May this Structure prove auvaatageous, and conduce to the prosperity 

of the Town of Cheltenham, so deservedly celebrated lor its 

salubrious Waters ! 

Be it known to posterity, 

The Right Honourable James Lord Sherbornf, 

Baron of Sherborne, in the County of Gloucester, 

The Lord of the .Manor, and most' benevolent patron 

And well-wisher to the Improvements of this Place, 

A Nobleman ever assiduous and ready to come forward, 

To the Protection of the King and the Church, 

Placed the hist stone of this New Market House, 

By Francis Welles, and Theodore Gwinnett, his Stewards, 

(The Corps of ttoyal Volunteer Cavalry and Imantry 

being assembled upon that occasion) 

On the 30th day of the Month of March, 

In the year of our Lord 1808, 

In the Keign of George the Third, 

The best and most deservedly beloved of Kings. 

Edward Smith, Architect. 

Cheltenham, after this event, again so rapidly increased in 
population, that the then Lord of the Manor was induced to 
erect the present Market, with the Arcade leading thereto, which 
was opened on August 5, 1822. The previous Market-house was 
taken by Messrs Hartland, bankers, and new fronted. The 
large room above, still existing, was formerly, and is at present 
set apart for Commissioners' and other meetings, and in it was 
commenced the first National School in the town. This building 
is now used by Messrs Williams and Griffiths, solicitors, and 
from its noble front stands out the town dial. The Hon. J. Dutton, 
the present heir apparent, is Provincial Grand Master of the 
Masons of Gloucestershire, and holds his courts periodically at 
the Freemasons' Lodge in Cheltenham. 

Like most of the ancient families of our country, the 
Sherbornes are of Norman origin. Udardus, or, as he is styled 
by English writers, Oclart, was one of the many warriors who 
came over to this country with the victorious William the 
Conqueror. He was steward to Neale, constable of Hugh Lupus, 
Earl of Chester ; who bestowed upon him many marks of favour 



106 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

and esteem. This Odart is the earliest ancestor of the Sherbornes 
now traceable. He was accompanied to the English shores by 
five valiant brothers, and Hugh Lupus, to whose service he was 
more particularly attached, was allied to royalty, being the son 
of Emma, the Conqueror's sister. The family were presented 
with Dutton, near Weavenham, in Cheshire, and their descendants 
afterwards took the surname of de Dutton. Their celebrity 
was, however, mainly acquired from an act of loyalty. Eenulph, 
the sixth Earl of Chester, occupied the castle of Euthlain, or 
Eudland, in Flintshire. On one of the Chester fair-days, the 
Earl was suddenly attacked in his castle by the Welsh forces. 
News of this event having reached the city, Ealph Dutton 
summoned, indiscriminately, the multitude forming the fair, 
among whom were a large number of fiddlers, and marched them 
direct to the Earl's rescue. The Welsh were so surprised at the 
number advancing, that they fled. In reward for this bravery, 
a charter was granted to Dutton, allowing him and his heirs ever 
after the sole controul and licensing of minstrels in the county 
of Chester. The settlement of this ancient family in this 
locality arose from the purchase of the adjacent Manor of 
Sherborne by Thomas Dutton, Esq., in the reign of Mary. In 
1628, John Dutton, Esq., purchased of the Prince of Wales the 
Manor of Cheltenham, and thus the family became closely 
connected with this " Queen of Watering Places." The parish 
of Sherborne had anciently given title to many of its manorial 
possessors. This practice, which had been discontinued from 
the monastic era, was, however, by royal favour, revived, and, in 
1784, James Dutton, Esq., was raised to the peerage under the 
title of Lord Sherborne. He was, at the time of his elevation, 
one of the Members of Parliament for this county — a honour 
conferred upon several of his predecessors. The manor of 
Cheltenham continued in the possession of this family for 215 
years, until its purchase by James A.gg Gardner, Esq., in 1843. 
Odart, the earliest ancestor or founder, was a man of extra- 
ordinary bravery, and had given to him " all the bulls out of 
the spoils taken in Wales, and Weston, and Alston." The 
sword which he used, according to Eudder, "is still carefully 
preserved in the Dutton family, having passed over from heir o 
heir as an heirloom accruing to the house with the next heir." 
The present Lord Sherborne is the twenty-fourth in lineal descent 



THE SHERBORNE FAMILY. 107 

from this renowned Odart, the Norman, who came to England 
in 1066 ; and the family have, consequents, been settled in this 
country nearly eight centuries. His lordship is also the eighth 
in descent from John Dutton, Esq., the purchaser of the 
Cheltenham manor in the 17th century. The Sherborne family 
are thus so intimately connected with our local topography, that 
the authentic sources from whence their origin are derived, are 
worthy of transcription. In " Burn's Justice," under the head 
of " Vagrants," section " Minstrels," it is said, — Cf But this shall 
not prejudice the heirs or assigns of John Dutton, of Dutton, in 
the county of Chester, Esquire, their heirs or assigns, concerning 
the liberty, privilege, or inheritance which they, their heirs or 
assigns, now lawfully use within the county of Chester, by 
reason of any ancient charters of any kings of this land, or by 
reason of any prescription, or lawful usage, or title whatsoever." 
For the understanding of which clause, we must go back so far 
as the reign of Eichard I. " Eandall Blundeville, Earl of Chester, 
towards the latter end of that king's reign, being suddenly 
besieged by the Welsh in the castle of Euthelent, in Flintshire, 
sent to his constable of Cheshire, one Eoger Lacy, w T ho, for his 
fierceness, was surnamed Hell, to hasten with what force he could 
to his relief. It happened to be on Midsummer-day, and a great 
fair then held in Chester: whereupon Eoger immediately got 
together a great lawless mob of fiddlers, players, coblers, and 
the like, and marched instantly towards the Earl ; and the 
Welsh, seeing a great multitude approaching, raised the seige 
and fled. The Earl being thus freed, comes back with his 
constable to Chester ; and in memory of his service, by a charter, 
grants to Eoger Lacy and his heirs, power over all the fiddlers, 
letchers, and — coblers, in Chester. About the latter end of the 
reign of John, or beginning of Henry III., Eoger Lacy being 
dead, his son John Lacy by deed granted to one Hugh Dutton, 
his steward, and to his heirs, rule and authority over all the 
letchers — and in the county." Another valuable authority, Sir 
Peter Leycester, in his " Antiquities of Cheshire," thus remarks : 
" In the 14 Henry VII., a quo warranto was brought against 
Laurence Dutton, of Dutton, Esquire, to show why he claimed 
all the minstrels of Cheshire, and ia the city of Chester to meet 
before him in Chester yearly, at the feast of St. John the Baptist, 
and to give unto him at the said feast 4|d., and why he claimed 



108 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

from every in Cheshire and in the city of Chester 4d. to be paid 
yearly at the feast aforesaid. To which he pleaded prescription. " 
These exceptions and particulars are also cited in the 
Yagrant Acts, (now repealed) passed 14 and 39 Elizabeth. 
Tn the 43rd of Elizabeth, it is said, " Before the end of the said 
year, the said John Dutton or his heirs shall procure the lords 
chief justices, and lord chief baron, or two of them, on hearing 
his allegations, and proofs, to make certificate into the chancery, 
to be there enrolled, that the said John Dutton, or his heirs, 
ought lawfully, if no statutes against rogues and beggars had 
been made, by charter, tenure, or prescription, to have such 
liberty of licensing of minstrels, as he claimeth and useth." 
In the 1 James, 25, the same clause was continued without 
limitation, so that it is probable such proof had been made as is 
alluded to. The exercise of this remarkable privilege is thus 
recorded by the historian Dugdale . — " And under the aforesaid 
grant, by ancient custom, the heirs of Dutton to this day do 
claim and exercise a privilege and authority over all the common 
fiddlers and minstrels in Chester, and all Cheshire ; and in 
memory thereof keep a yearly court in Chester, on Midsummer 
Day, being Chester Fair, and in a solemn manner ride attended 
through the city to the church of St. John the Baptist, with all 
the fiddlers of the county playing before the Lord Dutton, and 
then at the court renew their licenses yearly ; and none ought to 
use the trade or employment of a fiddler, either within the city 
or county, but by an order or license of that court." This list 
of authorities might be easily increased, but sufficient has, we 
think, been already quoted to prove the origin of the Dutton, 
now Sherborne family. 



THE DE LA BERE FAMILY. 



109 




The De La Bere family were the largest owners of property 
in the town, both before and after the formation of the many 
roads and drives that now exist Their local connection has 
extended over three centuries. At the time the place was being 
called into notice and the spas established, the resident members 
of this truly ancient family, rendered important service to the 
inhabitants. The Eev. J. De la Bere frequently conducted the 
services at the Parish Church, half a century since, at a period 
when it was the only church in the parish, and was crowded with 
some of the first nobility in the land, who had come to drink 
the waters. The subject and text of these discourses are 
regularly enlarged upon in the pages of the Cheltenham Chronicle 
of that period. When the first attempt was made to establish 
a local branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society, in 1814, 
Thomas Bagott De la Bere, Esq., took the chair at a public 
meetmg, and his influence and perseverance was such that from 
that time to the present the institution has continued to prosper, 
and maintain its own depot for the sale of the Holy Scripturen. 
J. De la Bere, Esq., the steward of the Manor, resided in the 
High-street, in a house since converted . into the Boyal Hotel. 
He also acted as a magistrate for the district. The Kt v. J. 
Edwards, the respected resident vicar of Prestbury, and a local 
justice of the peace, is the nearest collateral representative, on 
the female side of this once famed family, now surviving. 

At one period the only "justice of the peace" for the entire 
neighbourhood was T. De la Bere, Es;. in 1779, John 
De la Bere, Esq., purchased of the Earl of Essex, all the tythes 
wh ! ch supported the perpetual curacy of^Cheltenham, and also 



no 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



the tythes and glebe belonging to the hamlets of Alstone, Westallj 
Sandford, and Naunton. The clerical property of the two last 
named places passed to his son, the Kev. J De la Bere, who 
afterwards disposed of his interest in them lo separate individuals. 
But the other hamlets were sold during the lifetime of the original 
purchaser, and the act has led to one of the most spirited improve • 
meats the town has undergone. In 1801, Henry Thompson, Esq. 
bought for a nominal sum that portion of the property of John 
De la Bere, Esq.. which bounded the Bay's Hill estate, and 
extended from the Gloucester- road to Sandford-fields. The 
extent of this land was nearly four hundred acres, and the 
purchaser having by experimental borings, ascertained the 
existence of mineral waters, proceeded to erect a Pump Eoom, 
Baths, Salts, Manufactory, and ultimately to lay out and form 
the Lansdown-road, and other parts adjacent as represented in 




our sketch, now confessedly the most fashionable portion of 
the town. At the same time the Earl of Suffolk purchased 
thirty acres adjoining of J. De la Bere, Esq., for the sum of 
£2,800. This property consisted of a farm-house, (occupying 
the site of the present Suffolk-house,) with its uncultivated 
pasture lands. His Lordship's daughter, Lady Catherine Howard 
afterwards sold the farm for £14,000, and it was formed into 
Suffolk-lawn, Suffolk-square, St. James's Church and the entrance 
to the Park being the boundary. Thus, what was once little better 
than a barren waste, now forms the most attractive and valuable 
part of Cheltenham. An idea may be formed of the great change 
that has taken place in the value of this property, from the fact 
that when Mr, Thompson first possessed that portion of it which 



THE DE LA BERE FAMILY. Ill 

How constitutes "the Lansdown and Montpellier estates," it was 
deemed so far valueless as to be regarded as extra-parochial, and 
not liable to be rated. The rapid transformation of the 
De-la-Bere land, on the Montpellier side of the town into some 
of the most valuable of our local property, is very fully and 
accurately detailed by Mr. Da vies in his " Cheltenham Past 
and Present." The present beautiful drive from the Midland 




Station by the Lansdown Hotel, is on a part of the property 
thus improved, as our engraving represents ; and also Lansdown 
Crescent, which heads this chapter. 

Another way in which the De la Beres promoted the 
interest of Cheltenham in its more youthful days, was by the 
maintenance of a pack of hounds, which afforded both resident 
and visitor an opportunity of enjoying the invigorating sports 
cf hunting. This example was afterwards followed by the 
representative of another ancient family — the late Earl 
litzhardinge. 

"In 1779, John De la Bere, Esq., purchased of the Earl of 
Essex, all the tythes and glebe of the three last places, and of 
his own in Allstone, and re-sold them to the different 
proprietors, these estates therefore being tythe free, were not 
included in the act of in closure" (Eudge). 

In the Parish Church are interred several members of this 
ancient race. The following inscription occurs on a white 
marble tablet ; — 



112 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

" Near this place lie the remains of Ann, wife of Bernard Dewes, Esq 8 % 
daughter of John De la Bere, E q., who, with great beauty of power and 
elegance of diction, united the more valuable endowment of simple virtue 
and most amiable sweetnes>- of manners and disposition. Her early loss 
will be long and severely lamented by her friend, and in a more particular 
manner by her afflicted husband, who, with the deepest regret* inscribes 
this marble to her memor\ . 8he left two children, too young to be sensible of 
their great loss, and died Aug. 13th, in the 30th year of her age, a.d 1780." 

William the Conqueror having resolved upon taking possession 
of this country, marched from Normandy with a large number 
of soldiers, commanded by the flower of the Norman nobility. 
William having captured our island, rewarded the nobles who 
accompanied him, by gifts of land and estates in different 
quarters of the kingdom. From these nobles have descended the 
De la Bere, Sherborne, and various other families of our locality. 
The original De la Beres obtained an estate at Kennersley, in 
Herefordshire, where they resided in great splendour. By inter- 
marriages, they became connected with some of the most dis- 
tinguished families of the " feudal ages; 55 among the number 
weie the Talbots, the Scudamores, and the Huddiestones. The 
last-named relationship with the De la Bere family was effected 
in the reign of Henry VII , — Sir John Huddlestone 5 s only 
daughter, E len, marrying Kinnard De la Bere, Esq. By this 
marriage, the adjacent mansion at Southam became the property 
of the De la Beres and continued in their possession until it was . 
sold some few years since to Lord Ellenborough. 

The fifth descendant of this ancient family, Richard De la Bere, 
Esq., was appointed by Edward III. Sheriff of Herefordshire, 
for ten successive years, viz., from 1362 to 1372. Another 
Richard Dela Bere also enjoyed the royal favour of Henry VII., 
and, for his heroic Gonduc* at the battle of Stoke, was created a 
baronet in the field by that monarch. To form a just idea of 
the many honourable marks of distinction that have been 
bestowed on successive members of this illustrious family, the 
reader should visit the family tomb at Cleeve Church. The 
various heraldic honours which adorn this memento, are far more 
convincing proofs of their greatness than the historian can 
adduce. In Prestbury church and yard, there are also tablets 
erected to the memory of the more recent members of the family, 
particularly the female branches. Some of the more ancient 
branches also repose within the precincts of the Cheltenham 



THE DE LA. BEEE FAMILY. 113 

Parish Church. The De la Beres were connected on the female 
side with some of the early kings of England and Scotland, 
By marriage the family is descended from VVillliam of Scotland, 
and united with the line of PJantagenet. Stephen De la Bere 
married Matilda, daughter of Thomas Pye, Esq , by whom he 
had a daughter, Joan, who became the wife of Humphrey Bohun, 
Earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton, and high constable 
of England, by whom she was mother of two daughters, Eleanor 
and Mary. The former married to Thomas Piantagenet, 
surnamed of Woodstock, son of King Edward III., and uncle 
to King Eichard II. ; Mary married >to Henry Piantagenet, 
surnamed Bolingbroke, who was proclaimed King of England, 
by the name of Henry IV. Henry Y. was born from this 
marriage. Many other illustrious descendants on the female 
side might also be narrated down to a very recent period. 
Several of the early members of this family died without male 
issue, and the next of kin assumed the name and arms. In this 
way the surname Bagott became adopted. Kinnard De la Bere, 
Esq., dying in 1735, without a direct male descendant, the 
property and title devolved to his nephew, William Bagott, Esq., 
of Prestbury, whose descendants adopted the name of Bagott 
De la Bere. This title, however, also became extinct, in 
consequence of a want of male issue. " The labt of their race," 
on the male side, Thomas Bago.t De la Bere, died on 
Dec. 5, 1821, at the advanced age of 93. The crest of the 
De la Bere family was five ostrich feathers issuing out of a 
ducal coronet. This honourable mark of distinction was 
obtained by a very early ancestor — Sir Eichard De la Bere, at 
the ever memorable Battle of Cressy, for saving the life of 
Edward the Black Prince. This circumstance forms the most 
interesting portion of the history of this ancient family, as we 
shall endeavour to illustrate. 

Edward III. having laid claim to the crown of Prance, 
determined to prosecute that claim by force of arms ; he sailed 
from the port of Southampton with a thousand battle ships, 
containing thirty thousand men. He was accompanied by his 
son, who had just then attained his sixteenth year, and by the 
principal nobility of England. Among those who belonged to 
this locality, were — Sir Eichard De-la-Bere; Lord Chandos, 
whose remains are interred at Sudeley Castle ; and several members 

i 



114 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of the Berkeley, Sherborne, Hicks, and Trye families. The 
French army, which Edward III. had to encounter, was threefold 
more numerous than his own. By stratagem, the English king 
passed several of the great rivers, although closely pursued by 
the enemy, and landed on the opposite shore. The two armies 
were now in view of each other— the river forming the mark of 
separation. Edward III. spent the night in surrounding his 
position with trenches. The next morning, August 26, 1346, 
he drew up his army in three divisions, near the village of Cressy. 
The command of the first division he gave to his son, the Black 
Prince, giving him for his guides, Lord Chandos, and the brave 
Earl of Warwick. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the French 
army advanced. The attack was commenced by fifteen thousand 
Genoese cross-bowmen. But a shower falling, wetted their bow- 
strings, and their volley had no effect. The English archers,, 
whose weapons had been protected from the rain, immediately 
discharged their arrows, which told so well, as to throw the whole 
body of the enemy into confusion. The first blow decided the 
fortune of the day. The remainder of the affair was a rout, rather 
than a battle. The Genoese were trodden under foot, and cut to 
pieces, principally by the French themselves, who were pressed 
on every side by these, their allies, as much as by their enemies. 
At length, however, one of the divisions of the French army 3 
having got clear of this tumult, suddenly attacked the Black 
Prince with great fury. At this important crisis, Sir. Richard 
De la Bere rushed to the rescue of the youthful prince, fighting 
sword in hand most valiantly, and preserved his life. This attack 
was followed by another, directed against the prince, by three 
fresh squadrons of French and Germans, On this, the Pari of 
Warwick despatched a messenger to King Edward, begging him 
to bring up his reserve, and save his son, * 5 Is the Prince dead, 
or wounded, or felled to the ground ?" inquired the King ; and 
on being told that he was still alive. " No, 53 said he, u the glory 
of this day shall be his own, as he deserves it should ; while he 
lives I shall not interfere." In a few minutes the French army 
were driven back : tbe Black Prince now in turn advanced witht 
iris men ; the English army bore down all before them. After 
the victory, the father arid his &on i«et, and embraced each other, 
their hearts exulting with joy and thankfulness. " God give 
grace, my dear son," said the father, " to preserve you in the 



THE DE LA BERE FAMILY. 115 

work you have begun ; you have acquitted yourself nobly, and 
deserve the imperial crown for which we have fought." The 
youth bowed to the ground, and said nothing. With all his 
fire and daring in bat tie, he had none of the father's presumption ; 
and throughout his life, he never showed an inclination to take 
merit to himself, or to trample upon the rights of others. 
Early on the next morning, many thousands more of the enemy 
were slain, by a body of horsemen whom Edward sent forth to 
clear the country. It is said that altogether thirty thousand of 
the French fell in that memorable battle, among whom were the 
two Kings of Bohemia and Majorca, the nephew of the French 
King, three other sovereign princes, twenty-four baronets, twelve 
hundred knights, fifteen hundred gentlemen, and four thousand 
esquires. The English lost only three knights and one esquire, 
and but very few of the common soldiers. Victory being now 
decisive, and the scene of carnage ended, the nobility who had 
fought so nobly in the battle-field, were summoned into the 
presence of the King and his son. Title upon title, honour 
upon honour, estate upon estate, were bestowed successively 
upon all, according to their respective merits. The youthful 
Prince presented Eichard De la Bere to his father, and related 
the manner in which he had saved his life. The King first 
created him a knight, and then, in a most solemn manner, placed 
upon his head a ducal coronet, having fiYe ostrich feathers — a 
prize won from the enemy by the prince himself. A very curious 
old painting on pannel, which is engraved in Bigland's collections, 
still exists, representing Sir Eichard De la Bere, in a kneeling 
posture, receiving the crest after the battle, from Edward. This 
is supposed to have been executed soon after the introduction of 
oil painting in England, and is in good preservation. 

It is a remarkable fact, that a portion of the army that served 
under the Black Prince were " volunteers " from this county. 
They were three hundred in number, and commanded by Maurice 
Lord Berkeley. Of the valour of these Gloucestershire " rifles" 
in the olden time, Smith, in his " Lives of the Berkeley s," thus 
speaks, — " And I may avouch that the genius and natural courage 
of these my country Captaynes, and their soldiers, thus for ever 
renowned in this wonderful battle, liveth in their posterityes that 
now flourish, as the next ages will declare, when they have such 
a king and a prince to follow." 



116 HISTORY Or CHELTENHAM. 

In later times this nam.3 and royalty were again brought 
into contact. Miss Burney, the maid of honour to Queen 
Charlotte, in her Journal of the Royal visit to Cheltenham in 

1788, remarks, "The sweet Miss P received me with her 

usual kind joy, and introduced me to her friends, who are Mr. 
De la Bere, the master of the house and chief magistrate of 
Cheltenham, and his family." 



THE TRYE FAMILY. 

The Trye family have been most intimately connected with 
Cheltenham for several centuries. Many of their members have 
held local offices, and have taken an interest in promoting the 
welfare of the tjvvn. The Tryes are identified with the manor 
as owners, and with judicial and parochial institutions. In past 
times they have rendered great service by assisting in the 
establishment of benevolent societies, when the small population 
of the town rendered such a work one of difficulty. In order 
to increase the means of accommodation in the Parish Church, 
a female member of the Tryes — Mrs. Anne Norwood — in 1628 
erected, at her own expense, a gallery at the west end. Several 
members of this ancient family are interred in the Parish Church 
and yard. 

One of their ancestors, William Norwood, Esq., was lessee of 
the manor of Cheltenham from 1589 to 1603, and was a person 
of considerable legal ability. In the 32nd year of Queen 
Elizabeth's reign, he was the defendant in an action brought 
against him by the Queen's Attorney-General, respecting the 
rights and customs of the manor. His knowledge of local 
records enabled him to obtain a verdict in his favour, as will be 
seen on referring to the account of this truly important trial, 
which will be found fully detailed in another part of this work. 

A more recent descendant stands distinguished as a medical 
practitioner, and as the author of many practical and useful 
schemes in the town and its vicinity. This was Charles Brandon 
Trye, Esq., E.K.S., many years Senior Surgeon to the Gloucester 
Infirmary. As a surgeon he attained the highest eminence in 
his art, in which he was deeply skilled. He died in 1811, and 



THE TRYE FAMILY. 117 

a large and handsome monument is erected to his memory in 
Gloucester Cathedral. 

"The late Charles Brandon Trye "(writes his relative and 
biographer, the late Rev. Danl. Lysons) " was the elder son of 
the Rev. John Trye, of Haresfield and Leckhampton. He was 
born, August the 21st, 1757. At the age of seven he was placed 
at the Grammar School at Cirencester. His father died when 
he was in his ninth year, and his mother, of whose pious care in 
instructing him from his earliest childhood in religious duties he 
ever cherished the most grateful remembrance, survived him 
about two years. He was distinguished at school as a boy of 
bright parts, and soon acquired the common attainments of 
scholastic education. A facility of writing Latin, which he then 
possessed, he retained through life, as appears by a medical book 
which he left behind him in that language, and a brief memoir 
of himself found among his papers." This facility of writing 
Latin was kept up by him in after-life, by a constant perusal of 
the classics, although he was not urged, like many of the clergy 
who are classical preceptors, to refer to them so frequently and 
attentively for the purpose of instructing pupils. But he lets us 
into the secret of this penchant for literary pursuits, by saying 
that he was " scientiae amantissimus " [most fond of knowledge], 
as well as from his good mother's early instruction, " religionis 
verse observans" [observant of true religion]. No wonder, 
then, that Trye, ever joining together religious and secular 
learning, should have left behind him many devout prayers and 
meditations in English and Latin, which he had written and 
used for his own help and direction, and that he should have 
been capable of writing a work in Latin for the press, and of 
publishing in English several pamphlets on professional subjects 
of great merit. Such devotion to the Most High, united with 
devotedness to a most useful profession, produced, as might be 
expected, sentiments and services which will probably continue 
to be so many sources of blessing to many generations yet 
to come. 

Dr. Trye, during his residence in the locality, took an interest 
in the welfare of the town. He was one of the personal friends 
of the immortal discoverer of vaccination — Dr. Jenner, then a 
local practitioner. Dr. Trye warmly espoused the theory of 
Jenner, as to the value of innoculation by cow pox ; and th e 



118 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

pages of the Cheltenham Chronicle down to 1817, contain many 
eloquent letters written in Jenner's defence, and against the 
prejudices that then locally existed. 

l)r. Trye was not alone celebrated for his medical knowledge ; 
he was of a philosophic turn of mind, and suggested and carried 
into effect many important improvements in this loc dity. He 
formed the plan by which the barren rock of the adjoining hill 
of Leckhampton was rendered profitable, by opening quarries, 
which he found to contain stone of durable quality, and capable 
of being worked with great facility. He projected, and at his 
own expense constructed the tram-road leading from the quarries 
on Leckhampton hill to the Cheltenham and Gloucester tram- 
road. The present family representative is the Eev. C. B. Trye, 
the resident rector of Leckhampton. Like his ancestor, Dr. Trye, 
this gentleman devotes much of his time to the promotion of 
works of practical utility. The Eev. C. B. Trye is one of the 
Cheltenham Magistrates, and a valuable member of the Board 
of Guardians, rendering assistance and support to all disinterested 
schemes for improving the pauper, morally and socially. He 
has for many years been a constant attendant at the weekly 
meetings of the Guardians, and has filled the office of chairman. 
With other local institutions of a benevolent character, he is 
also connected. As a preacher, Mr. Trye is highly acceptable, 
and evinces earnestness and simplicity. The wants of his 
poorer parishioners also occupy his attention, as is manifest by 
the establishment of a Free School for the rising generation, and 
the adoption of the allotment system for adults. In an agricul- 
tural parish such institutions must undoubtedly be a great boon. 
The Trye family are of ancient origin, and derive their name 
from the town of Trye, in Normandy. The surviving members 
are descended, collaterally by the female line from the Norwood 
family, and lineally from the Norman Tryes. In more ancient 
times, the Tryes have been associated with events of national 
interest. Beginald de Trye was slain in a battle near Bruges, 
in 1302. Matthew de Trye did homage, as marshal of France, 
to Edward II. , for lands in Ponthein, and Sir James de Trye 
was taken prisoner and brought to England in the reign of 
Henry IY. Kawlin de Trye, the first of the name resident in 
Gloucestershire, married in 1380, an heiress of the house of 
Berkeley, and became invested with a manor in that parish. 



THE TltYE FAMILY. 119 

His third descendant, John Trye, married Elizabeth, daughter 
and co-heiress of Sir Almeric de Boteler a Park, and in 1449, 
obtained as her dower, the manor of Hardwick, which remained 
rested in this family for five generations. Thomas Trye, Esq., 
who possessed Hardwick in 1730, having obtained the per- 
mission of Parliament, sold it in 1733 to Sir Philip Yorke, then 
Attorney-General, who on his being appointed Lord Chancellor 
of England, was created Baron, and afterwards Earl of 
Hardwick. John Trye, Esq., was twice chosen M.P. for the 
city of Gloucester, and was the first Mayor of that city, to 
which office he was appointed in 1483, by Bichard III., when 
he granted the charter by which the civil government was 
altered. John, the second son of William Trye, Esq., married 
Elizabeth Gourney, niece and co-heiress of Charles Brandon, 
Duke of Suffolk, the favourite of Henry VIII., and distinguished 
by the attachment of that King's sister, Mary, Queen of 
Louis XL The Eev. John Trye, vicar of Haresfield, married 
Mary, daughter of the Eev. Thomas Norwood, then Lord of the 
Manor, and patron and incumbent of the Leckhampton rectory. 
Their son, Charles Brandon Trye, Esq., became possessed of the 
manor and advowson on the death of his cousin, Henry 
Norwood, Esq. 

A very celebrated member of this family is distinguished for 
his heroic conduct in the history of the protracted civil wars ; 
this was Colonel Henry Norwood : — " He was most warmly 
attached to Charles I., and shared persecutions with that 
monarch's partizans. In the reign of Charles II. he was made 
governor of Tangiers. He was once, with a ship's crew, reduced 
to such an extremity for want of provisions, that — 

" Out they spoke for lots of flesh and blood, 
And who should die to be his fellow's food. 

***** 

The lots were made, and marked, and mixed, and handed 
In sileut horror !" 

and the victim was permitted to descend into the hold and 
prepare himself for death — but the very horror of his situation 
saved them the necessity of shedding his blood ; he expired 
from actual fear as soon as he descended. Notwithstanding his 
fate, their hunger overcame all scruples, and they devoured the 
body." 



120 HISTOHY OF CHELTENHAM. 

" Colonel Henry Norwood, who held the estate in the reign 
of Charles L, was eminently loyal to that ill fated monarch, and 
distinguished in the civil war by his valiant spirit." cc His 
third descendant, John Trye, married Elizabeth, daughter and 
co-heiress of Sir Almeric de Boteler a Park, and in 1449, 
obtained as her dower, the manor of Hard wick, which remained 
vested in his family for five generations. Hardwiek, pursuant 
to an Act of Parliament obtained for that purpose in 1730, by 
Thomas Trye, Esq., was sold in 1773, to Sir Phillip Yorke, 
then Attorney-General, who, upon his being appointed Lord 
Chancellor of England, was created Baron, and afterwards Earl 
of Hardwiek in Gloucestershire" (Griffiths). 

The first settlement of the family in this immediate locality 
was by possession of the Leckhampton Manor, in 1486. Pudge 
says that the property at that date, "came by marriage of 
Eleanor, daughter and co-heiress of John GifFard, Esq., to John 
Norwood, from whom it descended in right line to Henry 
Norwood, Esq., who dying in 1797, left it by will to Charles 
Brandon Trye, Esq., of Gloucester, great grandson of Thomas 
Trye, Esq , of Hardwiek, who married Mary, daughter of 
Thomas Norwood, Esq., of Leckhampton. Both are very 
ancient families. The former trace their origin from the 
Norwoods of Kent, in the reign of Henry II., and the monument 
of Jordan Norwood, the ancestor, is still to be seen in Minster 
church. The Tryes, as appears on the family monument at 
Hardwiek, in this county, derived their name and origin from a 
town called Trye, whence they came into England about six 
hundred years ago. Pawl in Trye was the first of the family, 
and Charles Brandon Trye, Esq., the thirteenth lineal descendant 
from him. Hardwiek (four miles from Gloucester), in 1449, 
came to John Trye, by right of marriage with Elizabeth, the 
co-heiress, in which family it continued for more than three 
hundred years. The South Chancel of Hardwiek church is the 
dormitory of the family of Trye, and has many monuments and 
memorials of their family." 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 121 



TriE HICKS FAMILY. 



The Hicks family are connected with the past history of our 
religious and judicial institutions. During the seventeenth 
century, the rectory was purchased of King James by Sir 
Baptist Hicks ; and ever since that period successive members 
have, by their residence and aid, assisted in advancing the 
welfare of the town. The collateral descendant, Lady Cromie, 
is often a sojourner, and her name (like her ancestors,) is to be 
found on the " contribution list" of many of our local charities. 

AVithin the past half century, the sole administrator of justice 
in Cheltenham was the late male representative of the Hicks 
family, then William Hicks, Esq. At this period he resided in 
a house situated near the site of the present Belle Yue Hotel ; 
and, in more recent times, after he became, by heirship, possessed 
of the title of Sir W. Hicks, Bart., he was the senior magistrate. 
In 1798, he formed and commanded, for several years, the 
Cheltenham Volunteer Infantry — a body of inhabitants associated 
together on account of the contemplated French invasion, and 
who received from George III. special thanks for their services. 

In 1830, in consequence of a circular from Lord Melbourne, 
a public meeting was held at the Assembly Rooms, to take steps 
to prevent the incendiary riots then so prevalent. Sir TV. Hicks, 
as senior magistrate, presided. The Bev, E. Close proposed 
this resolution, — " This meeting has the satisfaction to be enabled 
to declare, that the general conduct of the inhabitants of this 
town and district, so far as their experience goes, has been loyal 
and peaceable." 

By possession of the rectory, officially and by residence, the 
Hicks family have now been connected with Cheltenham for 
upwards of three centuries. Various branches of the family 
stand distinguished for valiant deeds and good qualities in the 
annals of the past, and it is a singular coincidence, that the first 
time the Hickses were celebrated, was during the same engage- 
ment which called into notice an early ancestor of another 
ancient local family, the De la Beres. Sir Ellis Hicks, who was 
a favourite at the court of Edward III., received an appointment 
to attend Edward the Black Prince in his warlike tour, which so 
triumphantly ended with the battle of Cressy. Sir E, Hicks 



122 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

displayed such valour at that memorable battle, that in 
consequence of his having taken a standard from the enemy, the 
king gave him ihreefeurs de lis for his armorial bearings, and 
created him a knight banneret. His descendant, John Hicks, 
settled at Tortworth, in this county, where he died in 1486, 
and his estate devolved to Robert Hicks, of London, who had 
three sons, Michael, Francis, and Baptist, The former of these, 
who died in 1612, purchased the Witcomb Manor, which has 
since been possessed by his descendants, all of whom have been 
intimately connected with this town. His brother, Baptist 
Hicks, who was knighted by James I. in 1620, and created 
Viscount Campden by Charles I., purchased the Cheltenham 
Rectory. He was a man of great enterprise, and accumulated 
considerable wealth. He built Hicks Hall, in London, and a 
mansion at Campden, in this county, of a very remarkable 
character. Its site covered eight acres of ground. It had four 
fronts, and a large dome issued from the roof, which was lighted 
during the night, and formed a guide to the weary traveller. 
The building of this princely abode cost Sir B. Hicks £30,000, 
yet it was all destroyed by its owner during the civil wars, that 
it might not form a garrison for Oliver Cromwell's troops — an 
act to be lamented, for the house was never approached by 
insurgents. The elder brother of Sir Baptist was Michael 
Hicks, who was an eminent lawyer, and became secretary to the 
Lord Burleigh. He received the honour of knighthood in 1612. 
His son, William, was created a baionet by James I. in 1619, and 
was a warm partizan of that monarch during the period of the 
rebellion. He died in 1680, leaving issue, two sons, William 
and Michael, who were knighted in their infancy by Charles II. 
Sir William, knight and baronet, died in 1703, having issue — 
Henry and Charles. Sir Henry died in 1754, leaving two sons, 
Robert and Michael. The latter died unmarried in 1764, and 
Sir Robert in 1768, without issue. The title was next enjoyed 
by Sir John Baptist Hicks, the son of Charles, who dying 
without issue in 1791, was succeeded by Sir Howe Hicks, 
grandson of Sir Michael. Upon the death of Sir Howe, the 
title and estate devolved to Sir William Hicks, Bart., who died 
on October 23, 1834, at the age of 82. His daughter, Lady 
Cromie, resides at the ancient mansion at Witcomb, six miles 
from Cheltenham — a locality the most charming that can be 



THE HICKS FAMILY. 123 

conceived, and which comprehends a routine of mountain and 
vale scenery, little inferior to any landscape view in fair Italy. 
Sir William was succeeded by Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bart., 
M.P. for the county, who died in 1854. " The late baronet was 
grandson of Michael Hicks, second son of Sir Howe Hicks, who 
assumed the surname of Beach upon marrying, in 1779, 
Henrietta Maria, only daughter of W. Beach, Esq., of Nertheravon. 
Their son, Michael Beach, born in 1780, married, 26th January, 
1809, Caroline Jane, eldest daughter of W. Mount, Esq., of 
Wasing Place, Berks. To them was born, in ] 809, Michael 
Hicks, the late baronet, who had consequently, when he died, 
but just completed his 45th year. Sir Michael married, 
14th August, 1832, Harriett Yittoria, daughter of John 
Stratton, Esq., of Northamptonshire, by whom he leaves 
Sir Michael Edward, born 23rd October, 1857, the present 
baronet, and a family of six other children, one son and five 
daughters. 55 (Clieltenham Examiner, Dec. 6, 1854). 

Sir Baptist Hicks, Bart., who was so long connected with the 
Impropriate Rectory of Cheltenham, was thrice returned Member 
of Parliament for Tewkesbury. In Bennett's History of that 
ancient borough, it is recorded that " Sir Baptist Hicks, Bart., 
that mirror of his time, was created Yiscount Campden by 
Charles I., in 1628. He was a great mercer in London, at the 
accession of James I., and acquired so large a fortune, principally 
by supplying the courts with silks, that he left his two daughters 
JB1 00,000 each. He built a large house in St. John's Street, for 
the Justices of Middlesex to hold their Sessions in : this, 
although it is now demolished, still gives to the sessions house 
the name of Hicks Hail, In Campden Church is a stately altar 
tomb, on a raised slab of black marble, with the effigies recumbent 
of Yiscount Campden and his lady, in their robes of state and 
coronets. The canopy is supported by twelve pillars, of 
Egyptian marble. The following is a part of the inscription on 
one of the tablets : — " To the memory of her dear deceased 
husband, Baptist Lord Hicks, Yiscount Campden, born of a 
worthy family in the city of London, who, by the blessing of 
God on his ingenious endeavours, arose to an ample estate, and 
to the aforesaid degree of honour ; and out of those blessings 
disposed to charitable uses, in his life time, a large portion, to 
the value of £10,000, who lived religiously, virtuously, and 



124 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 



generously, to the age of seventy-eight years, and died Oct. 18, 
1629." His lordship left, by will, considerable property to 
charitable purposes, particularly to the poor of Tewkesbury, 
Campden, and places adjacent. 




THE SKILLICORNE FAMILY. 

At the early part of the eighteenth century, the Parish Church, 
Grammar School, Alms House, two markets, a few inns and 
straggling houses, denoted the High Street. The native stream 
of the Chelt passed by ; and one pump, or fC common fountain," 
(as the manorial books record) was placed in the centre, for the 
use of its rural inhabitants. Without the line of this main 
street were farms and pasture lands, with all the accompaniments 
of a rustic life. The " church stile" across the mead led to a 
miry lane, bounded by a brook overshadowed with trees. On 
the opposite side of the rivulet a green field might be seen, 
where nature revelled unadorned save by the hay stack and farm 
stead. Beneath a sandy surface, a thick blue clay was exposed 
to view, and a spring of water oozed out, which spread itself 
a few yards upon the ground, and then was evaporated by the 
heat of the sun, leaving salt crystals behind, as if to mark its 
course. Flocks of pigeons came daily, as well as the cattle of 
the farmers, to drink at this alkaline well. At length its curious 
particles scattered on the earth, attracted attention, and its 
medicinal virtues were made known. It was then circumscribed 
by a kind of mound, surrounded by a rude fence, and a small 



THE SKILLICORXE FAMILY. 125 

shed thrown over it. Such was Cheltenham south of the Old 
Church, in 1716. And what is the condition of the same 
ground in this the nineteenth century ? — It is covered w T ith 
stately mansions, elegant villas, groups of terraces, as repre- 




sented in our sketches, spas, and ornamented w r ith its 
Promenale of lofty elm trees, pronounced by Moreau to be 
"the most beautiful artificial walk in England." Where 
was once the rude team driven by the whistling carter 
along an almost impassable road, is now a beautiful drive, upon 
which the equippage of the great and wealthy hourly appears. 
Whence th ; s change and wonderful transformation in little more 
then a century of time ? By whose aid and help was the farm 
yard supplanted, and the fashionable promenade substituted in 
its stead ? — It was the work of an individual, whose name and 
family pedigree we here record. We trust that it may be the 
means of perpetuating the memory of one to whom the town at 
large stands so deeply indebted. The mineral waters had been 
discovered, but it required a man with spirit and enterprise to 
make the world acquainted with the fact. There lay the treasure 
in the bow T els of the earth, surrounded by unapproachable roads, 
and used by the rude population, or conveyed away to distant 
villages by the uncultivated carrier on his horse and pillion. 
These almost untoward circumstances seemed to present insur- 
mountable obstacles to any change, but they were all overcome 



126 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



by the indomitable perseverance of Captain Henry Skillicorne. 
This noble minded man first came to the town (whose fortunes 
he so improved) in 1738. The ground which contained the 
spring of water, was the property of a Mr. Mason, whose 
daughter Captain Skillicorne had married. Upon that gentle- 
man's death, the Captain, who was residing at Bristol, became, 
in right of his wife, the owner. Upon his settlement in 
Cheltenham he turned his attention to his estate, and commenced 




and perfected those improvements, which will for ever identify 
his name with our local history. He laid out the Old Well 
walks, planned the roads and drives around, and planted that 
stately row of elm trees which have been so much admired by 
visitors. These beautiful elms have now withstood the rude 
blast for nearly a century ; and beneaih their shady repose many 
an invalid has enjoyed the invigorating breeze and shelter from 
the summer's heat. 

" Hear nature's voice, and share in her delights ; 
To taste pure joy she every one invites, 
To every sense has she not cater' d well ? 
Are not her pleasures more than tongue can tell ? 
Choose ye the shade ? my ancient walk will suit ; 
With which for rivalship who will dispute ? 
Its towr'ing elms their leafy heads display, 
And quite exclude the sultry heat of day. 
When at my earliest fount, you turning trace 
The vista's length, see with what pleasing grace, 
It seems to finish with thut time worn srire, 
A termination doubtless you admire." 

Tovetfs " GhdienkamP 



THE SKILLICORNE FAMILY. 127 

" Captain Skillicorne planted those noble elms which now 
adorn the Upper and Lower Walks of the Old Spa, and which 
excite the admiration of every visitor. I honour the compre- 
hensive mind, that, like John Evelyn in his rambles, saw the 
giant oak in the tiny acorn, which he planted as he strolled 
aLng ; and I never repose under the shade of these stately trees, 
which overarch the wide promenade leading to the Koyal Old 
Well, but I invoke a blessing on his memory, and murmur to 
the w r hispering leaves a sufferer's gratitude." (Letters on 
Cheltenham). 

Captain Skillicome erected a pump room, rooms over the 
different wells that he formed, and ultimately established the 
first Spa. He lived to the patriarchal age of 84 years. In 
twenty-five years after he had passed away, his labours were 
justly appreciated by royalty, when George the Third and 
members of the royal family drank of those waters which he had 
been the means of making known, and the result has been ever 
since a progressive population, which has now reached to 40,000 1 
He was indeed a remarkable man The manuscripts which 
exist in his handwriting, and which we have frequently quoted, 
have afforded us most valuable information in preparing our 
work for the press. Captain Skillicome died in 1763, and the 
work of improvement which he commenced was carried on by 
his descendant, William Skillicorne, Esq., w T ho was gathered to 
his fathers in 1803. This gentleman erected the late Bay's 
Hill House, which was the residence of King George the Third 
during his visit, and of which we give a beautiful illustration in 
our frontispiece. He let it on lease to the Earl of Fauconberg, 
which accounts for its having been called Fauconberg Lodge ; 
and that nobleman placed this mansion at His Majesty's 
disposal. The King was so pleased with the fine situation, that he 
built additional rooms at his own expense. Wm. Skillicorne, Esq., 
died unmarried, and his sister Elizabeth married the Rev. Thos. 
Nash,,D.D., Rector of Salford, Oxon. The issue of this marriage 
was three daughters and one son — the Rev. Richard Skillicorne 
Nae-h, B.A., who held the same rectory as his father. This 
divine was the heir to the family estates, which he inherited 
under the will of William Skillicorne, Esq., and henceforth took 
the name of Skillicorne. The Rev. R S. N. Skillicorne married 
Anna Maria Ballinger, only daughter of William Ballinger,Esq., 



IBS HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of Cheltenham, and had issue, two daughters and one son, the 
present William Nash Skillicorne, Esq , Magistrate and Deputy 
Lieutenant of the county. This gentleman, like his ancestor, 
Captain Skillicorne, has effected some most beneficial changes 
on the estate. The ground which surrounded the King's 
residence had all the appearance of a country field, and its grove 
and rows of oak trees, and foot paths and rude stiles yet live 
in the memory of many. This rural drive is now converted 
into one of the most beautiful and valuable estates on the south 
side of the town, and known as the Bays Hill Estate. It com- 
mences at the Royal Old Wells and extends to the boundaries 
of Lansdown and the Gloucester road. It is covered with the 
mansions of the wealthy, and the taste of the architect has been 
developed in the order and variety of the style of building. It 
is now one of the most fashionable localities, and the property 
of the highest value. To the present family representative, 
W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., we are indebted for this great improve- 
ment. He it was who first planned and devised the laying out 
of the ground which has now become an ornament to our beautiful 
town. Mr. Skillicorne also takes a great interest in all local 
institutions of a benevolent nature, takes an active part, and 
bestows his patronage upon whatever is promoted to advance 
the interest of the town at large. Miss Skillicorne married the 
Rev. J. Bricknell, rector of Enysham, in Oxfordshire. 

James Eallon, Esq., barrister at law, is a collateral relative 
(having married Miss Skillicorne, Mrs. Bricknell's sister, and 
daughter of the Rev. R. Skillicorne), and like the family to 
which he is allied, he takes an active part in promoting every 
movement set on foot for benefitting the town in which he 
resides. During his occupancy of Bays Hill house he was 
honoured with a visit from H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, in 
1835, and conducted the Duke through all the apartments 
occupied by his royal parent, George III. The Duke took a 
deep interest in every object that was allied to the King's 
memory. 

The memory of a man like Captain Skillicorne, who has done 
so much to advance the interests of the locality, deserves to be 
for ever kept up. The influence which he exercised induced one 
of his descendants to order in his will that his executors should 
erect a monument to him, and the desirable object was carried 




: 'i m 



THE SKILLICORNE FAMILY. 129 

into effect. It is situated in the Parish Church, not far from the 
pulpit, and is a well executed large white marble tablet. In a 
historical point of view, the inscription is of the highest value, 
by supplying dates and particulars that tend to elucidate the 
modern History of Cheltenham. We here transcribe it verbatim, 
with the assurance that the reader will feel how deep a debt of 
gratitude we owe to the subject of the memorial. 

"In memory of Captain Henry Skillicorne, born at Kirk 
Lonnon, in the Isle of Mann, in 1678, taught by Dr. Wilson, 
bishop, and justly called the good bishop of that island. When 
young he went to sea, and was many years in the employ of and 
concerned with Jacob Elton, Esq., merchant, in Bristol, whose 
relation, Sarah Goldsmith, of that city, he married. She dyed 
in childbed with two children. He, in 1731, married Elizabeth 
Mason, then of Bristol, daughter of William Mason, of Chelt- 
enham, gentlemen, by Margaret Surman, daughter of John 
Surman, of Treddington, in this county, Esq, He, qui ting the 
sea after forty years service, they resided together some years at 
Bristol, and in 1738 came to live upon their estate in this town, 
where he gave his mind to encrease the knowledge and extend 
the use of Cheltenham Spa, which became his property. He 
found the Old Spring open and exposed to the weather. He 
made the well there as it now is, made the walks and planted 
the trees of the upper and lower Parades, and by conduct in- 
genious and manners attentive, he with the aid of many worthy 
persons in the town and neighbourhood, brought this most 
salutary Water to just estimation and extensive use, and ever 
presiding with esteem in the walks, saw it visited with benefit by 
the greatest persons of the age, as so established its reputntion, 
that his most gracious Majesty King George the Third, with his 
most amiable Queen Charlottee, and the Princess Eoyal Augusta 
and Elizabeth, their daughters, visited it, drinking the waters, 
and residing, from the 12th July to the 16th August, both 
inclusive, 1788, in the Lodge House, built by William Skilli- 
corne, the proprietor thereof, and of the Spa, son of Captain 
Skillicorne, on his Bays Hill, near thereto, for, and then, and 
now in Lease to the Eight Honourable Earl Eauconberg, who, 
receiving benefit from this water, for many years spread its good 
name. Wm. Miller, Esq., the tenant of the Spa, and others of 
the town, erected new buildings, paved, cleansed, and lighted 



ISO HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the street, encouraged by the gentlemen of the neighbourhood 
making new roads. The King discovered the New Spring like 
the Old, which his Majesty steaned and secured, and built 
Seventeen Booms at the Lodge House at his own expense, and 
graciously gave to Mr. Skillicorne, in whose ground, near the 
House, it was, at the instance of Earl "Fauconberg. Captain 
Skillicorne was buried the 18th October, 1763, with his. son 
Henry, by his last wife, at the west door on the inside of this 
church, aged 84 years, he was an excellent sea man of tryed 
courage. He visited most of the great trading ports of the 
Mediterranean, up the Archipelago, Morea, and Turkey, Spain, 
Portugal, and Yenice, and several of the North American ports, 
Philadelphia, and Boston, and Holland, and could do business 
in seven tongues. He was of great regularity and probity, and 
so temperate as never to have been once intoxicated. Beligious 
without hypocrisy, grave without austerity, of a cheerful con- 
versation without levity, a kind husband and tender father. 
Tall, erect, robust, and active. From an ill treated wound, while 
a prisoner, after an engagement at sea, he became a strict valetu- 
dinarian. He lived and died an honest man. Mrs. Elizabeth 
Skillicorne, a Quaker, was buried in the Quaker's Grave Yard,, 
upon the 14 April, 1779, a virtuous woman, a good wife, and 
tender mother. William Skillicorne, Esq., died April 12, 1 80S, 
aged 66 years." 



THE JENNER FAMILY 

Dr. Jenner, the celebrated discoverer of vaccination, resided for 
many years in Cheltenham, and his family have been connected 
with the county for nearly two centuries. This great philan- 
thropist, who discovered the means of preventing the spread of 
a life-destroying disease, was born at Berkeley, on May 17, 1749, 
died on Jan. 26, 1823, at the age of 74, and was buried at 
Berkeley Church. " It is worthy of remark," says Dr. Fosbroke, 
" that the house which Dr. Jenner inhabited on his first settling 
in Cheltenham is situated opposite a drug shop, in the lower part 
of the High- street, then considered a capital, now an inferior 
residence. 55 Afterwards he resided at No. 8, St. George's-place. 
Eov bomQ years he was the sole physician of note in the town. 



THE JENNER FAMILY. 131 

"Dr. Jenner was one of the original Commissioners named in the 
Cheltenham Improvement Act of 1821. He was also a local 
Justice of the Peace. To the late Dr. Barron of Cheltenham, 
the world is indebted for one of the best memoirs of the great 
philanthropist. The work was published in two volumes, and 
contained his private correspondence. From the close intimacy 
which subsisted between the author and Dr. Jenner, the every- 
day life of the latter is amply revealed. The life of Dr. Jenner 
is the history of an amiable being, whose, sphere was amid the 
creations of nature aud the pursuits of a benignant and placid 
philosophy — a gentle spirit full of tranquil thoughts and tem- 
perate impulses In establishing the cause of vaccination, Dr. 
Jenner showed the wisdom of one well versed in the disposition 
of men, and the knowledge of such modes of conviction as are 
most acceptable to the human mind. 

In 1824, a marble statue, to the memory of Dr. Jenner, was 
erected in Gloucester Cathedral. It is situate at the West end ©f 
the nave, and is the first object that meets the eye upon entering 
the edifice. It was executed by Siever of London, and is stated 
by Chantry to be, " among the modern monuments of the 
Church, the first in distinction and merit." The Doctor is re- 
presented in the gown of his Oxford degree, which gives a fine 
display of drapery, and adds height and dignity to the figure. 
In his right hand he holds a scroll; and in his left the appro- 
priate academic cap. The whole figure is beautifully distin- 
guished by classical elegance and simplicity. The statue is seven 
feet in height, placed upon a pedestal and base of eight feet. 
Upon the die of the pedestal is simply inscribed tc Edward 
Jenner," with the time and place of his birth and death; 
eulogium being an unnecessary accompaniment to a name which 
is never breathed but with blessings, and which has won its way 
into the remotest corner of the habitable globe. 

A glass memorial window has also been now added to the list 
of testimonials. The Crystal Palace displays a beautifully 
executed plaster, and the streets of London a bronze statue, of 
colossal dimensions, of Dr. Jenner, designed by William Calder 
Marshall, A K. A. 

The family of the great philanthropist had long been con- 
nected with the county. The first known ancestor is buried at 
Standish Church, in this county, and from the inscription on the 



132 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

monument, it appears that he died Dec. 16, 1667, at the age of 
56. From this person the pedigree commences, and continues 
seriatim to the subject of the present sketch. The next 
descendant was Stephen Jenner, who was born at Slimbridge, 
and was buried there in 1727. At this village the family con- 
tinued to reside for a number of years, and the greater portion 
of them are buried in the Church. The Eev. S. Jenner, M.A., 
of Pembroke College, Oxford, Vicar of Berkeley, and Eector of 
Bockhampton, who died in 1754, married the daughter of the 
prebendary of Bristol, and sister to the Eev. H. Head. M.A. y 
Eector of Cranford, and Dr. Head, the Master of Saint 
Catherine's Hospital, London, and had issue a numerous family , 
some of whom will be noticed. The Eev. S. Jenner, B.D., was 
Eector of Tittleton, Wilts, and many years perpetual curate of 
Stone. He died in 1797, distinguished alike for his learning 
and benevolence. Gardner, in his " Miscellanies" thus pour- 
trays his character : — " He was a man of excellent good sense,, 
of a retired turn of mind ; but which never prevented the 
exercise of the very liberal and generous virtues of his heart. 
The most shining part of his character was a quiet amiable 
modesty, which shrunk from everything bearing the most distant 
resemblance to ostentation ; . for nature seemed to have formed 
him for the uniform practice of that Divine religion whose 
revelation he sincerely believed. His critical observations were 
peculiarly penetrative and judicious ; and his learning and 
general abilities, were much greater than his modesty would 
permit him to display." The Eev. Henry Jenner, M.A., who 
died in 1798, was chaplain to the Earl of Aylesbury; he had a 
a son, ^ person of eminence in the army, who was unfortunately 
shipwrecked off the Island of Portland, Nov. 18, 1796, on his 
way to the West Indies. In a narrative of the event by Mrs. 
Charlotte Smith, 8 vol. 1796, it is said that " Lieutenant Jenner 
was the representative of an ancient and much respected family 
in Gloucestershire. He had been many years a lieutenant of 
marines, but had engaged in Colonel Whitelock's regiment, on 
the promise of a company which his long services entitled him 
to. He possessed all those engaging and manly qualities which 
belong to the gentleman, the soldier, and the friend ; and it may 
with truth be said, that he was esteemed by all who knew him." 
Henry Jenner, M.D. and F.L.S., who died in 1798> was pro- 



THE JENNER FAMILY. 133 

vincial grand master of the Freemasons for the city of Bristol. 
His daughter married the Eev. W. Davis, Eector of Eastington. 
Their youngest child was the celebrated Edward Jenner, E.R.S. 
and M.D., who, 1788, married Catherine, daughter of Robert 
Eitzhardinge Kingscote, Esq., of Kingscote. 

" In the list of discoveries and inventions for the relief of 
suffering humanity, no man can overlook the world-wide debt of 
gratitude owed by mankind to Dr. Jenner, the first to apply the 
discovery of vaccination to the mitigation of that awful pest, the 
smallpox, by which millions, informer days, were hurried to their 
graves. I will not call him the inventor— he did a better thing 
for us — he made use of the discovery, and taught us how to 
apply it ; and as long as the world stands, I believe the name of 
Jenner will be remembered not only in England, but all over the 
world. — (Rev. S. Lysons). 

Dr. Jen nee. — In his latter years he was not a very early 
riser ; but he always spent some part of his time in his study 
before he appeared at the breakfast table. When in London 
and at Cheltenham, he generally assembled his scientific and 
literary friends around him at this hour. Some came for the 
pleasure of his conversation ; some to receive instruction in the 
history and practice of vaccination. In the country, where his 
guests were generally his own immediate connexions or his 
intimate friends, the originality of his character came out in the 
most engaging manner. He almost always brought some in- 
tellectual offering to the morning repast. A new fact in natural 
history, a fossil, or some of the results of his meditations, supplied 
materials for conversation; but, in default of these, he would 
produce an epigram, or a fugitive jeu d'esprit ; and did not 
disdain even a pun when it oame in his way. His mirth and 
gaiety, except when under the pressure of domestic calamity or 
bodily illness, never long forsook him ; and even in his old age, 
the facility with which he adapted his conversation and his 
manners to the most juvenile of his associates was truly interest- 
ing. To have seen and heard him at such times one could 
hardly believe that he was advanced in years, or these years had 
been crowded with events so important. — Baron s Life of 
Jenner. 

Charles James Eox. — The celebrated Charles James Eox, 
during a residence at Cheltenham, had frequent intercouse with 



134 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Jenner. His mind had been a good deal poisoned as to the 
character of cow-pox by his family physician, Moseley. In his 
usual playful and engaging manner, he said one day to Jenner, 
" Pray, Dr. Jenner, tell me of this cow-pox that we have heard 
so much about :— What is it like?" " Why, it is exactly like 
the section of a pearl on a rose leaf." This comparison, which 
is not less remarkable for its accuracy than for its poetic beauty, 
struck Mr. Fox very forcibly. He laughed heartily, and praised 
the simile. 

The first manifestation of that talent which was afterwards so 
pre-eminently conspicuous, was in a series of papers read to the 
members of the Eoyal Society, more especially on the habits of the 
cuckoo, a bird whose characteristics were before unknown. After 
a cautious examination of the disease called cow-pox, which 
was particularly prevalent in this country among the cows, Dr. 
Jenner discovered that the inoculation of persons with this 
disease was a preventative to the ravages of small-pox. He 
tried the experiment, and the result fully established his fame, 
and has spread blessings on a large portion of the civilized 
world. Dr. Jenner made known this important discovery with 
all the simplicity and modesty which ever mark the man of 
merit ; he sought not riches for his trouble, but finding it would 
benefit the human race, freely made it known, and the only public 
emolument he received was a small parliamentary grant. To 
record on the tomb that he was the inventor of vaccine inocu- 
lation is enough permanently to designate him to future ages as 
the greatest contributor to the physical interests of mankind, in 
this or any other country. No antecedent improvement in medi- 
cine can rank in direct utility with this single one. In every 
qurrter of the globe where it has been actively disseminated, it 
has effected an immense saving in the destruction of human 
life, and of human suffering and deformity. In our Eastern 
and Western colonies, and all over the continent of America, the 
small-pox has been universally checked. In the European 
nations of Russia, France, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and 
Holland, the small-pox is nearly extinct. The solid basis upon 
which vaccination now rests, leaves not a doubt of its ultimate 
success in liberating mankind from a physical evil of the 
greatest and most horrible description, and produces the convic- 
tion that the acumen of Dr. Jenner's reputation is now bu 



THE JENNER FAMILY. 135 

incipient, and that at its highest it will stand elevated and 
unrivalled amongst ancient and modern contributions to the 
good of humanity. An Institution was established some years 
since in London, with a view to carry out the benevolent inten- 
tions of the subject of this sketch, under the title of the 
" Eoyai Jennerian Institution." 

There is a summer house on Cieeve Hill, in the midst of a wood, 
which Dr. Jenner used to visit for the purpose of obtaining the 
vaccine from the cows belonging to the farmers in that neigh- 
bourhood. Alpha House, on Bayshill, was also used by the 
philanthropist for the purpose of gratuitous vaccination. So 
strong was the public prejudice at the first introduction of this 
new discovery, that the premises referred to were for a long 
time known as the "Pest House." This residence was after- 
wards used as a Seminary by Mr. Wilderspin, one of the most 
zealous promoters of Infant Schools, who resided there for a 
great number of years. It is now occupied by Mr. G. Norman, 
the proprietor of the Cheltenham Examiner. 

" Few persons have brought their talents to bear with more 
effect in promoting the health and life and vital activity of 
multitudes of human beings, in almost all parts of the civilized 
world, than the immortal Dr. Jenner, of Berkeley, in this county. 
His career, from beginning to end, was one undeviating course 
of study, which resulted in investigating and making generally 
known a remedy against the virulence and danger, and ulti- 
mately against the prevalence, of the small pox. This horrid 
disease, we all know, was so sudden in its approach, and so 
deadly and disfiguring in its usual results, as to occasion a general 
mortality and panic wherever it was not speedily and skilfully 
counteracted, like a complete plague. Dr. Jenner, by degrees, 
and after years of anxious meditation and actual observation, 
applied what, from an early period, his well-trained genius had 
led him to consider an antidote to a most infectious and des- 
tructive malady. ' In attempting to unfold character, (writes 
his able historian, the late eminent Dr. Baron, of this city), ' it is 
not less instructive than it is interesting to find in the private 
history of a distinguished individual the successive links in the 
chain of events by which it pleased Providence to conduct him 
to that eminence where shines the splendour of his genius and 
his intellect. This progress, in the case of Jenner, can luckily 



136 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

be delineated with much accuracy. While yet a youth, and just 
entering on his elemenary studies, that impression was made 
upon his mind which laid the foundation of all his future 
researches respecting vaccination ; and with the constancy of a 
character fitted and fashioned for great achievements, it was 
never permitted to escape from his consideration till it 
terminated in that wonderful discovery, the effects of which all 
nations have enjoyed.' The mind, I may add, which always 
and uninterruptedly teemed with this happy discovery, was kept 
up in due action by every kind of analogous study, nor was it 
ever allowed to grow feeble by indolence, nor empirical by 
experience alone. No ; Dr. Jenner conjoined study and experi- 
ence as inseparable companions, being both together, though not 
apart, productive of sound and rational improvements. And he 
constantly made additions to his stock of knowledge and general 
information, as subservient to his grand project, the extension of 
human life and usefulness. Thus he studied ornithology and 
geology, with the Jaws of physiology and pathology; and he made 
himself acquainted with the classical and French languages ; 
while he occasionally relaxed in playing on the flute, and in taking 
a leading part in musical entertainments. These various pursuits, 
besides his medical profession, tended to draw out and keep 
in harmony his strong intellectual powers in a right direction, 
and issued in forming a model of perpetual admiration for literati 
of every class to imitate. 

"Asa man may be known from his companions, so Di\ 
Baron's turn of mind may be inferred from his association with Dr* 
Jenner. We see in the former, as well as in the latter, a mind 
enlarged and invigorated by daily habits of thought and research. 
Dr. Baron, having passed through school and college with credit 
and distinction, made constant progress in general knowledge, 
as well as in professional attainments ; and he showed his multi- 
farious learning in his publications, and particularly in his life of 
his friend, Dr. Jenner. He may, perhaps, be said to have been 
a medical philosopher, analysing causes as well as observing 
results, and applying inventive remedies in difficult cases, where 
ordinary prescriptions would not be likely to succeed. In prac- 
tical divinity, too, he was also conversant ; and with the aid of a 
good understanding he made a name worthy of a British 
physician, which this neighbourhood, and even distant counties, 
will not soon forget." — (Dr. Claxson.) 



THE SMITH FAMILY. 



137 



THE SMITH FAMILY. 

For several centuries, a family of the name of Smith have 
been residents in the town and neighbourhood. One of their 
number was the Lay Impropriator, and other branches, in more 
modern times, have followed the medical profession and the 
pursuit of merchandise. The more recent members were 
located at the u Fleece," at a period when that establishment 
made little pretentions to greatness. The house, then, was 
whitewashed within and without. Kudely painted letters 
on the sun-dried shutter, informed the passer-by that the 
landlord followed the joint occupations of selling " Newmarch 
and Gwinnetts Strong Ale/' and practising the art of " Whig: 
and Peruke Maker." 

The Fleece Hotel, in the High-street, which, when viewed 



RllmilRl 




from Henrietta Street, bears evident marks of having been 
erected in the olden time, is celebrated on account of its former 
occupancy by several members of the Smith family. The scene 
of the exploit which has perpetuated the Smiths' renown, lies in 
the parish of Deerhurst, but a few miles from Cheltenham, and 
the axe, the instrument which brought about the event, for many 
years ornamented the walls of the inn. The house originally 
formed the commencement of a solitary lane leading to a 
common waste called the Marshes, and now bounded by the 



138 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

mansion of the late Lord Dunally. A rudely carved figure of a 
sheep was suspended over the doorway ; the pure stream of the 
Chelt flowed by, and stepping-stones formed a communication 
with the neighbourhood. In those days, for ever past, when the 
Cotswold farmer, on his slow pack-horse, was the only person 
who could be called an " arrival," the Eleece was a favourite 
place of resort. It was as celebrated then as a rendezvous for 
the rustics who indulged in the marvellous tales of a bygone 
age, as it now is as an hotel fitted up with all the comforts of 
civilization. The extraordinary tale which has identified this 
house with the past, and caused "mine host" to be treasured up 
in the memory of many an old inhabitant, belongs to the six- 
teenth century. 

In the palmy days of Henry VIII., an enormous sea-serpent 
was washed on shore at the overflowing of the Severn, and soon 
became a great grievance around Deerhurst, by poisoning the 
inhabitants, and destroying the cattle. So serious was the 
annoyance caused by the monster, that at length the people 
petitioned the king for relief, and a proclamation was issued, 
offering a reward that any person who should kill the serpent 
should enjoy an estate at Walton-hill, then at the disposal of 
the crown. This was a great stimulus to exertion, and many 
an inhabitant, both rich and poor, tried their hands at destroy- 
ing the serpent, but without success. At length, a labouring 
man, named Smith, undertook the perilous task, and by adopting 
an ingenious yet simple stratagem, succeeded. He placed a 
large quantity of milk in a vessel, and having secreted it in a 
spot where the animal frequented, the serpent gorged it up, and 
then stretched himself out to sleep in the sun, with his scales 
ruffled up. Smith thus seeing the common enemy within his 
power, advanced cautiously, and striking between the scales with 
his axe, cut off the serpent's head. This narrative is somewhat 
■confirmed' by the fact, that the estate has directly succeeded to 
the present descendant, from the hero of the story, and the axe 
which achieved the memorable event is now in a good state of 
preservation, having been handed down from father to son as 
their heir loom. These events are not to be wondered at when 
the uncultivated state of the country, four centuries ago, are 
taken into consideration. Local records bear testimony to the 
fact, that various parts of Gloucestershire were once so infested 



THE SMITH FAMILY. 139 

with poisonous and ravenous animals, that a local tax was 
instituted in order to enable the legislature to exterminate them. 

The following account of a visit to the Fleece appeared in the 
Cheltenham Chronicle, of Nov. 23, 1809, in the form of a letter to 
the Editor : — " Many centuries ago, a Monster or Fiery Dragon, 
so infested the neighbourhood of Deerhurst Walton, near Comb 
Hill, that the farmer and the traveller, passing and re-passing, 
found it of so dangerous a nature, that all commercial intercourse 
was daily at an end. In consequence of this Serpentine Sus- 
pension of trade, the noble Monarch of the day offered a con- 
siderable reward for the destruction .of the enemy ; but not 
immediately finding a hero bold enough for the undertaking, at 
last made it known by Eoyal Proclamation, that the estate on 
which it was destroyed would descend to the destroyer, to him 
and to his heirs for ever. A man at last named Smith under- 
took the awful task of annihilating this terriffic reptile, in 
which he succeeded by a wise and well-concerted stratagem. 
Having been informed that Mrs. Smith, widow of the late Mr. 
Smith, of the Fleece, had in her possession the very identical 
instrument that put an end to the Dragon, curiosity led me to 
call on her for a sight of it. It was very carefully wrapped in 
paper ; gold surely never formed a more precious relic." 

The Smiths were direct descendants of the person who origi- 
nally achieved this marvellous feat. The late eminent antiquarian, 
Mr. Counsel, the author of the "History of Gloucester," 
purchased the axe of Mrs. Smith, at the Fleece, and it was 
added to that gentleman's celebrated collection of local anti- 
quities. He was of opinion that the instrument, from its 
workmanship, belonged to the date assigned for the execution of 
this most remarkable deed. 

Rudgesays : — " Tradition has handed down a story that an 
estate at Walton-hill was formerly granted by the Crown to an 
ancient proprietor as a reward for having killed a vast serpent 
that infested the country, and the axe with which the beast was 
killed is still shown (1803). A similar tradition prevails in the 
county of Durham, where the represensative of Sir E. Blackett 
is obliged to render service to the bishop, on his first coming 
into the county, by presenting a faulchion, with which the 
ancestors of the family slew a monstrous reptile ; the faulchion 
thus presented secures the possession of a large estate held by 
this tenure." 



140 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

That romantic and beautiful spot, known as Hartley Bottom,, 
which, from its close proximity to the Seven Springs, is so much 
frequented, has also its serpent associations : — " In the church at 
Cubberley, are the recumbent figures of a Berkeley and his wife, 
fourteenth century, 1340. This knight is said to have killed a 
huge serpent which infested Hartley Bottom." — (Gomonde). 



THE NOMHWICK FAMILY. 

Thirlestaine House, in the Bath-road, near the Proprietary 
College, will for ever stand distinguished in the annals of local 
history, ljb was for years a source of attraction to pictorial 
connoiseurs, and the paintings and articles of vertu, which once 




were contained within its walls, enjoyed an European celebrity. 
In magnitude, as well as in its architectural details, this build- 
ing may be classed first among the private mansions in the 
town. It was built and designed by Mr. Scott, a gentleman 
of great artistic taste, at a cost of £80,000. We give a view of 
the noble classic pile, which may be justly called a model of 
Ionic architecture. In the centre is a suberb portico, an exact 
copy of the celebrated Temple on the Ilissus at Athens. The 
paintings and articles of vertu, which formerly were deposited in 
this noble mansion, occupied the entire life of the late Lord 
North wick in their collection, and in value they were the 



THE XOHTHWICK FAMILY. 141 

largest in England, and were freely shown to the visitor. Of 
their extent and value, we can form a correct idea from the 
amount which they realized at the respected nobleman's decease. 
" The disposal of Lord North wick's pictures, collected during a 
life extending for nearly a quarter of a century beyond the aver- 
age term allotted to man, occupied eighteen successive days, 
attracted buyers or buyers' agents from all parts of the king- 
dom, and realized a sum amounting in round numbers to nearly 
£1 00,000. So extensive a collection has not been sold for many 
years. The residents and visitors of Cheltenham knew its value, 
and will long lament its unfortunate dispersion. The galleries 
at Thirlestaine House were the pride of Cheltenham. They 
were to this thriving town what the National Gallery is to the 
metropolis. They were open all the year round without fee or 
charge of any kind, and their liberal owner had no greater 
pleasure than that of knowing that his pictures drew visitors by 
the hundred. In like manner, at Northwick Park, near 
Campden, his lordship had built a spacious gallery, which was 
never closed at any hour of the day to the public, and, being 
the only gallery for many miles round, was greatly valued by 
all the neighbourhood. Until within the last year or two Lord 
Northwick spent much of his time every day among his 
pictures, and took great delight in pointing out their beauties to 
any intelligent visitor who might ask permission to see the 
collection. He had a kind way of getting into conversation with 
young people, and would explain the difference between one 
school of painting and another, and show how to discern the 
great points in a picture, where to look for merits, and how to 
distinguish between good and bad. It was a pride and 
pleasure to him to know that either at Cheltenham or North- 
wick Park his treasures were appreciated by the public. Few 
men of his rank and retired habits had more public spirit. Not 
his pictures only, but his whole house and park were at the 
service of the public. They who have frequented that lovely 
spot for pic-nics or parties of pleasure know well the hospitality 
with which its noble owner would send out choice fruit or other 
refreshment by way of welcome to his often unknown visitors. As 
for Thirlestaine House, it was, for all practical purposes, a public 
institution, of which Cheltenham and its visitors reaped the 
benefit. These splendid collections are now scattered to the 



142 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

winds. They were brought together in the course a very long 
life, they cost immense sums of money, and repaid their owner by 
the gratification they afforded to his own refined taste, and the 
pleasure they afforded to others. But they were scattered, and 
it may be a whole generation before another collection at all 
approaching to it in number, value and public usefulness, shall 
be formed. And it is this thought that suggests these remarks. 
We contemplate the dispersion of these pictures with two 
painful reflections, which, by way of caution or suggestion to 
other collectors, we wish to impress upon the public. The first 
is the comparative uselessness in collecting works of art without 
some provision for their preservation. Here was a most accom- 
plished nobleman devoted to art, especially pictures. He spent 
enormous sums of money in the collection of choice specimens, 
and was a liberal patron of young artists of ability and promise. 
In the course of years he had galleries of which any peer or 
millionaire might be proud. Now where are they ? He has 
gone, and his pictures are scattered all over the, country and the 
continent. They are no longer a school of art. The galleries of 
Thirlestaine and Northwick no longer form a school for the 
student or a refreshment to the amateur. The purpose of a life 
is dissipated, and a new illustration is given to the preacher's 
moral, " Vanitas vanitatis et omina vanitas." It was the belief 
in Cheltenham, we know not on what authority, that the pictures 
at Thirlestaine would be left for the benefit of the town, or, at 
least, that some provision would be made by which they would 
be preserved there for the use of the public. This turns out to 
be a mistakeo Those works of art have gone to the highest 
bidder, and their sale is regarded as a great calamity. Un- 
doubtedly, he who collects treasures of art, in the way Lord 
Northwick did, and gives the public the benefit of. them 
during his life, does a great service in his day and gener- 
ation ; but it is impossible not to remember how much greater a 
service he renders who not only forms a collection, but provides 
for its perpetuity. To collect pictures at great cost s and then 
sell them by auction, is to throw to the winds a large amount of 
money. The difference between purchase and sa ! e is the price 
of the owner's enjoyment during his life, and a costly price it 
often is : whereas a comparatively small addition to this expense 
would save the labour and thought of years from the auctioneer's 



THE NORTHWICK FAMILY. 143 

hammer, and what is worse, from uselessness and oblivion. In 
the next place, see the duty of making a will. These collec- 
tions are dispersed because they form a portion of the personality 
of the deceased, and there being no instructions as to their dis- 
posal, there is no choice but to sell them and appropriate their 
proceedings among the heirs-at-law. Next to the mischief of 
making an unfair will, is that of making none at all. Had 
Lord Northwick ordered by will the sale of his pictures, how- 
ever disappointed the world might have been, it would have been 
felt that he had a right to do as he liked. But dying intestate, 
the sale follows as a matter of course, and the results of a long 
life and large fortune devoted to works of art are just nowhere. 
Many of our readers are men of fortune and collectors of art 
treasures ; we think the fate of Lord Northwick's pictures is a 
lesson to them. A gallery of pictures left to a family or the 
public is an offering at the shrine of art ; but, sold by auction, 
and dispersed among innumerable private purchasers, is sheer 
vanity and labour lost." — Morning Post. 

This celebrated sale occurred in July, 1859, his Lordship 
having died in the January previous. 

Death of Lord Northwick. — It is with the most 
unfeigned regret that we this week record the demise of one of 
the most venerable and venerated members of the British peer- 
age, and one of the most munificent patrons of the fine arts of 
whom this country could boast. We allude to the Eight Hon. 
Lord Northwick, who departed this life on Thursday morning 
last, at his lordship's seat near Moreton-in-Marsh, after having 
attained the patriarchal age of four score years and nine. — 
Cheltenham Journal^ January 22, 1859. 

This literary and artistic nobleman belonged to a family of 
high connection. John Eushout, Baron Northwick, of North- 
wick Park, io this county, Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham, was 
born on the 16th February, 1770, and succeeded to the peerage 
on the death of his father, the first Baron Nortlrwick, on the 
20th of October, 1800, he being then in his 30th year. Of his 
lordship's lineage little is known prior to the reign of Charles 
the First, when John Eushout, Esq., a native of France (lineally 
descended from Mareschal de Gamaees, grand master of the 
horse tu Louis XL) settled in England and established himself 
as a merchant in London. This John Eushout married Anne, 



144 fiistaRY m cfliL^NfiAM, 

the daughter of Joas Godschalch, and at his decease left only one- 
surviving son, James Eushout, Esq., of Milnst Maylands, in the 
-county of Essex, who was created a baronet on the 17th of July, 
1661. Sir James Eushout married Alice, the daughter and 
(heiress of Edward Pitt, Esq., of Harrow^on-the-Hill, and relict 
of Edward Palmer, Esq., and was succeeded at his decease in 
1698, by his eldest surviving son, Sir James^ who married 
Arabella, daughter of Sir Thomas Yernon, and died in 1705 c. 
He left only one son, Sir James, who died in 1711 without 
issue. The title then reverted to the uncle of the deceased, the 
Eight Hon. Sir John Eushout, who at that period filled the high 
and honourable office of treasurer of the navy. Sir John- 
married the Lady Ann Compton, daughter of George Earl of 
Northampton, and died in 1775, leaving a daughter, Elizabeth,, 
who married Eichard Middleton, Esq., of Chirk Castle, Denbigh,, 
and an only son, who was born on the 12th July, 1738, suc- 
ceeded to the estates of Sir John Eushout on the death of his- 
father, and was elevated to the peerage on the 26th of October, 
1797, by the title of Baron Northwick. His lordship married 
on the 8th of June, 1766, Eebecca, daughter of Humphrey 
Bowles, Esq., of Wanstead, Essex, by whom he left issue two 
sons, namely — John, the late peer, born the 16th of February, 
1770, and George, who took holy orders, born the 30th July, 
1772 ; assumed the surname of Bowles, in addition to and after 
Eushout, 20th of June, 1817; married, in 180$, Caroline, 
daughter of John, seventh Earl of Galloway, and died in 1842, 
— and three daughters, viz., Anne, who died on the 4th of April, 
1849, ; Harriet, who was married on the 3rd of February, 1808, 
to Sir Charles Cockerell, Bart., and died the 30th October 
1851 ; and Elizabeth, married first to Sydney Bowles, Esq., on 
the 24th June, 1797, and secondly to John-Wallis Grieve, Esq., 
on the second of August, 1819. The late peer was never 
married, and consequently left no direct heir. His brother 
George, at his decease, left four children, namely, George, born 
the 30th of August, 1811, now a captain in the 1st Life Guards ; 
Caroline, who died in 1822; Georgiana and Harriet, who died 
in 1852. Captain Sir George Eushout (nephew of the deceased 
peer) is therefore heir to the title and estates, and is the present 
Lord Northwick. For many years he represented Worcester- 
shire in Parliament. 




\V 



4! 










THE CL09E FAMILY. 145 

THE VERY RE?. BR. CLOSE, DEAN OF CARLISLE. 

Cheltenham has acquired an almost national celebrity, on 
account of the many and extensive public educational institu- 
tions which it supports. These valuable establishments have all 
been erected within the past twenty years ; and prior to that time, 
the institutions in connection with the Church of England were 
limited to congregational efforts. The large increase of new 
churches is also equally as remarkable. During the past thirty 
years, eight edifices, mostly of a spacious and expensive 
character, have been erected and consecrated according to the 
rites of the Established Church. In the same porportion has 
the amount for charitable objects in connection with the congre- 
ations increased. During a period of ten years, the collections 
at the Parish Church alone, amounted to £11,709 16s. 8^d. ! 
To what cause can we justly attribute so satisfactory a state of 
things ? We reply, to the influence and indomitable perseverance 
of one whose name will for ever be identified with the religious 
history of the town — Francis Close. This popular and earnest 
Evangelical preacher was for thirty -three years amongst his 
parishioners, taking, during that time, the most active part in 
every local movement of importance. He was encouraged in 
these efforts by the success which marked his career, and he 
witnessed the population of his parish double itself in number 
during his abode. He commenced his local career when there 
was only one edifice beside the Parish Church, and no public 
scholastic building. When he was about removing from the 
scene of his labours it was stated that he had contributed to the 
erection of public buildings, schools, colleges, &c, no less a 
sum than £100,000. His earliest efforts were directed to the 
formation of the Proprietary College in the Bath-road, which 
now numbers 600 students, so many of whom have obtained 
University and military honours. He next laboured most 
intensely to establish that noble Institution, the Church of 
England Training College, with its branch institutions. Here, 
again, he was eminently successful, and by its means Cheltenham 
has sent forth to ail parts of the world, well educated teachers 
of public schools. The ancient Grammar School had fallen into 
a state of apathy and was nearly devoid of scholars. His 
untiring spirit was once more called into action, and with the 



146 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

aid of a parochial committee, he lived to witness upwards of 
300 scholars reaping the advantages of a nearly decayed bequest. 
During the time he was thus actively employed, he published a 
great number of sermons and other works which commanded a 
wide circulation. 

The Rev. Francis Close was first connected with Cheltenham 
in the year 1824. He was then assistant curate at Trinity 
Church, and at that youthful period of his life gave evidence of that 
natural oratory in his preaching, for which, in after years, he was 
so distinguished. The death of the Eev. C. Jervis, the incum- 
bent of the parish, in 1826, caused a vacancy. The living had 
been purchased by the Eev. J. Simeon, with a view to the 
spreading of Evangelical sentiments. That benevolent and 
wealthy man had formed an acquaintance with Mr. Close whiJe 
at Cambridge, and he presented him with the Cheltenham 
Incumbency. He was "read in" on November 29th, 1826, 
and continued to hold the important position until he was 
elevated to be Dean of Carlisle in 1856. His popularity is 
evident from the fact that his income, which averaged £1200 per 
annum, was derived from voluntary offerings and fees — only 
£40 being the yearly fixed stipend for the minister. In token 
of respect towards him, the congregation, in 1838, by subscrip- 
tion, erected the spacious residence, " The Grange," and 
presented it to him absolutely—" to him and his heirs for ever. :> 
The Eev. P. Close, by a singular circumstance, was a native of 
Somersetshire, and as such entered the University of Cambridge, 
He was born in a village near Bath in 1797, at the residence of 
Dr. Eandolph, where his mother was then on a visit. He had 
three brothers— Major Close, of the Artillery ; Major M. J. 
Close, of the Fourth Dragoon Guards; and Captain Close, in 
the Eoyal Artillery. He was instructed at Merchant Taylors 
School in London, at the time Dr. Cherry was Head Master. 
After he had finished his course at this ancient establishment, 
he was placed under the private tuition of the Eev. Thomas 
Scott, of Hull, the well known Scripture Commentator. He 
entered the Cambridge university in 1816, at the age of 19, as a 
commoner of St. John's College. He graduated B.A. in 
January, 1820, and in course of the same year was ordained <o 
the curacy of Church Law ford, near Eugby. In thirteen months 
after, having taken priests orders, he accepted the curacy ot 



THE CLOSE FAMILY. 147 

Willesden and Kingsbury, near Harrow, Middlesex. He con- 
tinued in this curacy until he removed to Cheltenham in 1 824. 
At the time he was first appointed assistant curate at Trinity 
Church he had just attained his twenty-seventh year, and in two 
years afterwards took up the degree of M.A. When he left the 
parish for a higher sphere of usefulnesss, he was sixty years of 
age, and had grown grey in the service of truth and righteous- 
ness. After his elevation to the Deanery of Carlisle, he was 
honoured with the degree of D.D. The same active spirit seems 
to be still in operation among the less opulent parishioners of 
the north, as was always in motion among the wealthy denizens 
of the Queen of Watering Places. It is only great minds 
that can adopt themselves to new circumstances. The same 
perseverance which created the Educational Institutions which 
now adorn our town, is now in motion to stem the torrent of 
drunkenness, and in cultivating the minds of the working men 
of Carlisle. Mr. Close is the descendant of a family of high 
antiquity, who stand distinguished for important ecclesias- 
tical positions which they held. It is a significant historical fact 
that one of his ancestors stands recorded as Bishop of Lichfield 
in 1452, having previously filled the office of Chancellor of the 
University of Cambridge, and was Bishop of Carlisle two years 
before his translation to the See of Lichfield. Dr. Close is the 
fourth and youngest son of the Eev. Henry Jackson Close, M. A., 
of St. John's College, Oxford. He was first rector of Hitcham, 
Suffolk, and afterwards rector of Bentworth, in Hampshire. 
Mr. Close, like his son the Dean, was a favourite with the 
government, and it was through his friendship with the cele- 
brated prime minister, William Pitt, that he afterwards obtained 
his Hampshire Rectory* The Dean of Carlisle is also allied 
by marriage with an ancient and distinguished family. While 
pursuing his studies at Cambridge, he became acquainted with 
the late Rev. Thomas Arden, youngest son of T. Arden, Esq., of 
Longcroft Hall, in Staffordshire, the head of one of the original 
Saxon families that have descended down the stream of time. 
This friendship resulted in the marriage of the Dean of Carlisle 
with Miss Annie Diana Arden. By this lady the Dean has had 
a family of eight children, some of whom are allied by marriage 
to families in Cheltenham. Two sons are Captains in the 
Bombay array, another is second in command of a regiment in 



148 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the Punjab, a younger one holds the rank of Commander in the 
Eoyal Navy, and a fourth is a squatter in Victoria, Australia. 
In a recently published authenticated memoir of this remarkable 
man, it is said that " at one time he had a strong inclination to 
go to sea — an early passion which he Imd learnt sitting on 
Admiral Cornwallis's knee and listening to his inspiring tales of 
sea life. The earnest wishes of his mother alone prevented 
Admiral Cornwallis taking him to sea with him. The taste, 
however, remained; in his boyhood he signalised himself by his- 
boating propensities on the Thames, and afterwards,, when at 
Hull with his tutor. He always made his journey to London 
by sea, for the pleasure of the voyage ; and on one occasion he- 
was nearly lost in a gale of wind off Yarmouth, This taste for 
the water followed him to College, where, having obtained aa 
open scholarship at St. John's, and having no taste for mathe- 
matics, he devoted his leisure hours chiefly to aquatic adventures* 
It will scarcely be believed that at this time there was not a six 
or eight-oared boat on the river. Mr. Close did much to recom- 
mence the habit of rowing and sailing among the gownsmen -, 
and a story is still current among the bargees of how Mr. Close 
cut the towing line of a train of barges which were coming up 
the river, and drove them all on shore, because they would not 
give way and would have capsized his boat. He was, neverthe- 
less, of a very religious turn of mind, and under the influence 
of his tutor, early imbibed the views of that religious school of 
which, in subsequent years, he became such an efficient cham- 
pion. But he ever united great natural spirits and physical 
force with sincere piety. Nor did his seagoing tastes leave him 
in after life. Long after he was settled at Cheltenham the sea 
shore was his point of attraction ; and there he trained his boys 
to the same healthy and innocent tastes. Often has he been 
seen going down the Channel in an open boat, with only two or 
three of his own boys for a crew ; and the coast between Ports- 
mouth and Plymouth was as familiar to him as the King's 
highway." 

The b( st proof that can be adduced of the valuable services 
rendered to Cheltenham by Dr. Close, are the numerous testi- 
monials that his parishioners have from time to time presented 
to him. We especially allude to the period when he was about 
to remove to the Deanery of Carlisle. A voluntary collection of 



THE CLOSE FAMILY. 149 

nearly JBIQOO was raised to present a farewell memorial to the 
pastor of thirty years standing. This was the act of the 
parishioners at large. The masters of the Proprietary College 
also added their testimony, in the shape of a very haudsome 
Ormolu Time Piece bearing a suitable Latin inscription. The 
students of the College manifested their esteem by a Silver Tea 
Service, and the Parochial Clergy, by a folio Bible, splendidly 
bound and mounted, resting upon a massive oak desk elaborately 
carved. All these testimonials were presented on one occasion 
and with suitable addresses. This was on December 3, 1856. 
The place where the various Deputations assembled was most 
judiciously selected — it was " The Grange" — a building which 
the parishioners had reared and presented as a previous Testi- 
monial. The addresses on that occasion delivered, and the replies 
given, were worthy of the event. They contained expressions 
of gratitude and esteem that were naturally to be expected from 
an acquaintance of so long standing. The address from the 
general body of Parishioners mostly concerns us, as local 
historians, and from it we give an extraet which will demon- 
strate that the Dean of Carlisle deserves a niche in our History 
of Cheltenham : — " We desire further to record our acknowledg- 
ments to you for the temporal benefits which, either directly or 
indirectly, you have been mainly instrumental in conferring upon 
£he town and neighbourhood of Cheltenham. Of these benefits, 
a large proportion is due to your exertions in the cause of educa- 
tion, exertions of which substantial evidences are seen in the 
tasteful and appropriate buildings erected under your own imme- 
diate auspices, and more indirectly in the ever expanding area 
occupied by commodious dwelling houses. And the poorest and 
humblest cau testify that, w T hile you have administered to our- 
selves, both in sickness and in health, the purest consolations of 
the everlasting Gospel, you have also endeavoured to impart to 
the children of the poor, the inestimable advantages of education 
enjoyed by those of their richer brethren. For this we heartily 
thank you." 

The Cheltenham Examiner, of Oct. 22, 1856, in noticing his 
elevation to the Deanery, remarks : — " We will venture to say, if 
a search was made through our thickly populated land, no man 
could put his hand upon a parochial clergyman who has worked 
harder or more earnestly, for the last thirty years, than the Hev. 
Francis Close." 



THE CLOSE FAMILY. 151 

" If you look for his monument, look around," — is the in- 
scription on the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren, who lies buried 
in the centre of St. Paul's Cathedral, which his genius reared. 
A-dopting the suggestion, we will " look around," and trace out 
the most notable of the local Educational Institutions which 
Mr. Close was so instrumental in founding. 



THE PROPRIETARY COLLEGE 

which is an ornament to the town in an architectural point of 
view, numbers upwards of six hundred pupils, and from its very 
first formation has met with the most marked success. The 
amount of honours won at the University and other examinations 
by the students of this college are, perhaps, without a parallel 
in any similar establishment in England. The success which 
has attended this college has been the chief cause of the present 
prosperity of the town, as is evidenced by the great increase in 
the population, brought to light by the census returns in 1861. 
This beautiful Gothic structure was first opened for the recep- 
tion of Scholars on June 22nd, 1 813. It was built from designs 
by Mr. J. Wilson, of Bath. Its fine front represents the Tudor 
style, prevalent in England during the fifteenth century. The 
beautiful Gothic Chapel attached con tains marble tablets and stained 
glass windows in memory of former students of the College who 
have fallen in the Crimea and in India. Many of the side windows 
fcre of stained glass, one having been presented by the town. 
This handsome edifice will seat 800 persons, and its erection 
cost £6000. The college was built with capital raised by shares 
of £20 each, but so prosperous has been its career, that they 
are now worth £100. 

THE CHURCH OF ENGLiND NORMAL COLLEGE. 

The establishment of a Normal College in the town was a 
work at which Dr. Close, in conjunction with others, laboured 
most incessantly. Success attended their praiseworthy efforts, 
and our sketch represents a building of vast extent, located on 
six acres of ground. The foundation stone was laid May 19, 
1849, by Lord Ashley. It bore the following inscription, which 
details the aim and object of the founders : — " This stone was 



152 



HISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. 



laid by the "Right Hon. Lord Ashley, M.P., President of the 
Church of England Training Institution, at Cheltenham, 
for the purpose of instructing persons as masters for any 
part of the United Kingdom, upon Scriptural, Evangelical, and 
Protestant principles, in accordance with the Liturgy and 
Articles of the Established Church, April 19, 1849. S. W. 
Daukes, architect. Thomas Haines, builder" The edifice is in 
the Domestic Early Pointed style. The front, facing the ror.d 
leading to St. Paul's Church, displays a central tower of con- 
siderable height. The entire structure is formed of rubble 
masonry, and presents a novel appearance. The ground on 
which the building stands was presented for the object to which 
it has been devoted by the late Miss Jane Cook. With a view 
to render the Institution more efficient, there has been erected 
on the unoccupied ground, Model and Practising Schools for 
children. The building is quadrangular in form, and surrounded 
by a wall, capped with an ornamental coping. The portion in 
front is embattled, and the enclosures filled with ornamental 
iron work. The principal gateway is in the centre, and there 
are private ones for the Principal and Vice-Principal at each 
end. The building stands some distance back from the public 
road ; the opening being filled with a lawn and shrubs. The 
entrance is through a ground archway, which leads into a hand- 
some quadrangle. A corridor runs round the whole of the 
building, giving access to all parts, but communication can be 
shut off at certain points. On the east side of the entrance, is 
an octagon turret, open at the top, containing a bell and a stair- 
case to the porter's bedroom. On the same side are the board- 
room, class-room, &c. ; all of them have open roofs with framed 
principals, the leads of which rest on carved corbels, stained a 
middle tint, and varnished. At the extreme end is the Principal's 
house ; it has a small court into which the servant's offices look ; 
the offices of the servants to the establishment are also on this 
side, and the Training Master's house ; at the North East angle, 
is the dining hall. In the centre of the North side is the 
principal staircase, giving access to the dormitories; the whole of 
this side is occupied by class-rooms, and at the North East 
angle, corresponding with the dining-room, is the day room. On 
the West side is the theatre and a class room, and at the South 
West angle is the Yiee- Principal's house, complete in itself; 



L Wu -«M E 



•jlZBEItiS! 



Illli 



UN 



.D'J' 



mm 












154 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

next to this, on the North side, are the library and visitor's 
room, both of which have open roofs like the board-room. The 
dormitories extend round the North and West side; there is one 
long room, divided into separate rooms for each man, by- 
partitions. A passage passes down the centre of the whole, 
and is ventilated by towers fixed in the dormitory windows in 
the roof, which can be opened or shut at pleasure. In the upper 
part of the central tower, on the North side is the sick ward. 

The Principal, the Rev. 0. H. Bromby, M.A., the Incumbent 
of St. Paul's, is the author of many eminent works on education. 

Many are the associations which crowd upon the memory as 
we pass by the educational and benevolent institutions which 
were once under the care of Francis Close. But the building 
of all others, with which his name is so closely identified, is the 
ever venerable Parish Church. Por upwards of a quarter of a 
century were his thrilling appeals in behalf of Evangelical truth 
uttered within the time-hallowed walls of this edifice, He was 
the twenty-third successive Divine who had filled the Incum- 
bency since the Established Church had been remodelled, after the 
chaotic period of the Civil Wars. This will be apparent from the 
history of the Parish Church, which the following Chapter will 
fullv detail. 



CHAP. X. 

%\>t kartell GDi)tra!). 

'"Twas the sweet and blessed Sabbath, God's own holy hallowed hour, 
And the bells were softly chiming, in Saint Mary's time worn tower, 
fiush'd was the voice of labour, no harsh sounds disturbed the air, 
And the rows of stately lime trees bowed their heads as if in prayer !" 

Byrne's " Cheltenham Church." 

THE ecclesiastical history of Cheltenham commences with the 
ninth century. Eor six hundred years following, its 
religious temple was dedicated to the services of Eoman Catho- 
licism ; and its manor and hundred were successively the 
property of the once rich and extensive Monastic establishments 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 155 

of Cirencester, Lanthony, Pescamp, and Sion. The order of 
architecture, displayed both in the interior and exterior of our 
truly venerable Parish Church, demonstrates that it was erected 
centuries prior to the abolition of the Papal power in this 
country ; and its large dimensions and general structure indicate 
that Cheltenham must have been a very important ecclesiastical 
station at an early period. History has, however, placed this 
interesting fact beyond doubt. Prom the first conversion of the 
Saxons to Christianity, down to the present day, the town has 
been celebrated for its religious institutions. The high position 
which Cheltenham occupied in the early monastic period is 
evident from the fact that Horton, the renowned Sacrist, who, 
in the fourteenth century, commenced the beautiful cloisters, 
who rebuilt the high altar, aisle, and other parts of Gloucester 
Cathedral, received his ordination at the Parish Church. " He 
received the benediction at Cheltenham from the Bishop of 
Hereford, by leave of the Bishop of Worcester."— (Kudder). 

The present Parish Church must, indeed, have been a most 
important building before the introduction of the Protestant 
faith. The various religious edifices in the locality were 
subordinate to it for centuries, and eren the now large churches 
of Charlton and Leckhampton were Ci made subject to the 
mother Church at Cheltenham, by William, Bislnp of Hereford, 
in 1190." Besides the chantries, two chapels were also con- 
nected — one at Arle and the other at Hatherley ; and at the 
time the manor belonged to the nuns of Sion, the recently 
restored Norman chapel at Southam was under the same 
jurisdiction. The chapel at Hatherley was situated on the 
estate at present rented by Mr. Pickernell, and tomb stones, cross 
steps, and other vestiges of the ancient structure have been 
discovered there. After the Reformation, Queen Elizabeth 
granted an annuity of twelve shillings, annually, to be paid by 
the owner of the property for the time being, to Richard Pates 
and his heirs, to enable him to support the Cheltenham Alms 
Houses, in Albion Street. Prom an ancient lease of Hatherley 
Parm (in the author's possession), it appears that this incident 
is introduced and made legally binding, and the payment is 
continued to the present day. The chapel at Arle was, no 
doubt, abolished at the establishment of the Reformation. 
Budge, in 1803, says: — "The date of 1250, found on a beam, 
belonged to a chapel here." 



156 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Hatherley Chapel was, in after years, created a chapelry of 
Badgworth, and continued so until its demolition. The chapel 
at Southam was annexed to the Cleeve district. 

The church at Cheltenham yet retains many vestiges of its 
ancient architecture. 

The north side of the building is, unquestionably, the oldest 
portion now standing. The north porch retains, unaltered, its 
original characteristics, and was probably at one time the only 
means of entrance. The roof in the interior displays the ball 
flower decoration — a style prevalent in the reigns of Edward II. 
and Edward III. — five centuries since. This beautiful order of 
architecture was finely developed in this county, and all the best 
authorities cite as examples the windows of Gloucester Cathedral 
and Badgworth Church, and the North porch at Cheltenham. 
—(Knight). 

" The porch was a very ancient appendage to the church ; and 
although it has been usually considered as a mere ornament, yet 
it had, in ancient times, its special uses. In that part of the 
will of Henry VI., relative to the foundation of Eton College, 
are these words : — ' Item, in the south side of the body of the 
church, a fair large door with a porch, and the same for 
christening of children and weddings. 5 " — (Nichols). Another 
peculiarity in the North porch is the fact of its having been 
chambered. With the exception of Cleeve Church, we believe 
it is the only instance to be found in the county of a chamber 
over the porch. This, and the one at Cleeve, are almost unique 
specimens of the residence of a recluse of some importance, as 
is evident from a separate doorway being formed for his use. 

The edifice, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is 117 feet in 
length, 65 feet in breadth, and is capable of seating upwards of 
a thousand persons. Tradition has assigned the period of its 
erection to the eleventh century. The foundations and main 
walls may probably belong to that early era, but the windows 
have been introduced at later intervals — from the twelvth to the 
fifteenth century. The w r est window was erected in 1703, the 
former one having been struck with lightning. The most 
admired portion of the sacred pile is the marygold, or circular 
window, in the Early Gothic style, and very similar to the one 
in York Cathedral. Its general design represents the expanded 
leaves of a flower. It is divided into 33 compartments, and its 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 157 

diameter is 15, and its circumference 45 feet. There are 
inhabitants now surviving who can remember when the "rood 
loft" occupied its ancient position, between the nave and the 
chancel ; 

11 Bright burned the waxen taper, upward curled 
The clouds of incense towards the mimic cross, 
Loud swelled the solemn authem, as unfurl* d 
The mystic signs became." 

Directly beneath the spire, the rood loft was displayed on a 
gallery platform* It acquired its name from the great crucifix 
which was erected upon it, with its front towards the congrega- 
tion. Beside the rood, or crucifix, it . was also customary to 
introduce figures of saints, The bell-ropes passed through this 
platform, and the ringers peformed their task upon it until the 
year 1813, when the Rev. C. Jervis suggested the formation of 
the present belfry. The ancient lofc was then removed, the 
royal arms put up it in its stead, and the massive Gothic arches 
which support the tower, left unexposed and unencumbered, 
as at present. On August 5th, 1813, at a vestry meeting 
convened for the purpose, it was decided " to remove the belfry 
from the body of the ofcttfcl*." 

The accompanying view of the interior represents this precise 
spot (which, in fact, forms the arches that support the tower 
and spire), and also the truly beautiful circular window before 
alluded to. 

The many alterations which have been made have tended to 
destroy many vestiges of antiquity within the memory of the 
living. The remains of a beautifiul Sedilia and canopied 
Piscina of the Early Gothic era, existed until the South Porch 
was introduced into its present position. A large and ancient 
baptismal font, belonging to the same period of architecture 
also located near the same place, was removed to the Sun Inn, in 
the High Street, where it formed for many years a watering 
trough 1 

A similar fate befell the oldest font in the county, which 
originally stood in the Saxon Church at Deerhurst, and the 
stone coffins, in which were interred the Abbots of Winchcomb ! 
The carved figures, which graced for so many years the Com- 
munion in our Parish Church, found a local habitation in a 
builder's yard ! 

The Early English style, prevalent from 1190 to 1245, is 



158 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

developed in the arch of the North aisle, connecting it with the 
transept. The small circular window in the gallery of the 
North transept belongs to the Geometrical era and the time of 
its introduction into the main wall could not have been later 




than the thirteenth century. The decorated style is finely 
illustrated in the South transept* and the windows, especially, 
may be referred to the period when it was in general nse, between 
the years 1215 and 1360, The greater part of the present 
edifice was erected at the time these orders of architecture were 
in their highest state of development. This was at the time 
when monastic institutions were in the heighth of their 
prosperity, as is evidenced by the local Abbots of the De 
Cheltenham family that were once connected with the edifice, 
and some of whom represented Cheltenham in Parliament. 



THE PARISH CHURCH* 159 

A Porch formerly existed within the East door, which was 
Removed in order to create more pews. It was in the Early 
Gothic style, and is in the possession of Mr. J. Alder, of this 
town. 

The crucifix^form of the building proves that it has under- 
gone no external alteration since the rites of the Eoman 
Church were practised within its walls; its interior must, there- 
fore, bave had an imposing appearance 

" When the proud Papal baud 
Came summon' cl by the sacred vesper chime, 
To pa} r their gorgeous worship at the shrine 
Of the pure Virgin and her Son divine. '* 

A convincing proof of the ancient importance of the Parish 
Church, as a Monastic edifice, is derived from the fact ihat it 
formerly contained two large and well-endowed chantries. The 
first of the devotional altars was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, 
and was so well endowed that a separate priest and parsonage 
house were connected with it» The second chantry was dedicated 
to St. Catherine, and its founder also bequeathed property 
for its regular maintenance. Of the value of these endowments 
we may form some idea, from the fact that in the reign of 
Henry VIL, according to Pope Nicholas, they were worth 24s. 
annually—a large sum for that period : and the property now 
realizes twenty times as many pounds, from the circumstance cf 
it being land on which some of the most valuable houses of the 
town are built. This now forms a portion of the estate which was 
bequeathed by Eichard Pate for the support of the Free Grammar 
School, in the High Street. To the original grant of Mr. Pate, 
dated 1578, is appended — " A true and perfect rentroli" of all 
the estate, and the annual value of each separate portion, in the 
year 1586. In that document the chantries are thus entered: 
— " Cheltenham one tenement and close, payable at the feasts 
of the Annunciation of our blessed Lady the Virgin Mary, and 
St. Michael, the Archangel, some time belonging to the chantry 
of the blessed Virgin Mary, in the Parish Church, at Cheltenham, 
13s. 4d. For the Mansion-house, or Priest's-chamber, payable 
in like manner, 12s. One tenement, with the appurtenances, 
payable in like manner, sometime belonging to the late chantry of 
Saint Catherine, in the same Parish Church of Cheltenham, 12s. 



160 HISTOttY OF CHELTENHAM, 

One parcel of land sometime belonging to the chantry of the 
Virgin Mary aforesaid, 16s. 8d» One parrel of ground, some- 
time belonging to the chantry of the blessed Virgin Mary, given 
for the finding of holy bread, in the same Parish Church, 
£2 13s. 4d., of which Thcmas Ball was the last Incumbent. " 
— (Atkyns). In common with all the property left by Catholics, 
that which has now been described, reverted to the crown at the 
Reformation. It was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Mr. Pates 
for the purpose of establishing a Pree School, and the original 
building yet exists, displaying on its frontage the ancient 
inscription—" Schola Grammatical 5 It may also be adduced in 
illustration of the subject, that the Principal of the edifice at 
this era became one of the most distinguished men of his day. 
This was a townsman, named Eichard De Cheltenham He 
died in 1509, and the rich tracery displayed on his tomb at 
Tewkesbury, of which Abbey he was Abbot, proves the exalted 
rank which he sustained. The Parish Church continued a 
monastic edifice until the general dissolution of Henry VIIL, 
and the remains of the chantries were visible until within the 
past half-century. 

These chantries, as indicated by the closed mortuary doorway, 
seem to have been located near the North Porch, and the Priest's 
house was, probably, without the churchyard in the High Street, 
on the site of the old market, where Norman ecclessiastical 
remains have been found. These chantries were in full use at the 
latter period when the Komanish faith was about to be non- 
legalised by the act of Henry VIIL 

" These chantries were choirs in miniature , and had their 
raised altars, tapers, crucifixes, and all the utensils of Catholic 
worship, only on a smaller scale than in the platform of the 
church. These endowments were very considerable; varying 
according to the number of masses for the dead to be said in 
them by the appointment of their founders ; which, commonly, 
had respect to their ancestors and descendants, as well as to the 
immediate benefit of their own souls. 55 — (Knight). 

The power which destroyed, or rather suppressed, the ancient 
ecclesiastical institutions of our land, and our own parish church 
among the number, must have been almost miraculous. It was 
brought about by a series of events unparalled in their nature and 
magnitude. The love of ambition and wealth was no doubt the 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 161 

first thing which promoted the crusade against monastic property ; 
but this movemnt, although unjust in itself, by robbing the 
Catholics of their property, yet, fortunately, brought about 
the right of private judgment and religious liberty ; and on the 
ruins of papal temples, it raised the standard of the illustrious 
Chillingworth — " That the Bible, and the Bible only, is the 
Religion of Protestants" 

About midway between the North door and the large circular 
window are the remains of two altar tombs ; and from the 
coffins that have been previously found, it is evident that four of 
these mementoes of conventual life musit have once existed. The 
form of these ancient relics was fully developed in 1860, when 
the whole of the flooring was dug out and the vaults concreted 
over by virtue of a Sanitary order issued from the Privy Council. 
These tombs are of high antiquity, and one of them yet retains 
its original position. The canopied arches are still entire, which 
were raised over them, and from the style of architecture which 
they display, evidently belong to the reign of Edward II. The 
existence of these tombs (which contained the Abbots belonging 
to the Monastry) testifies to the former extent and importance 
of the sacred building. Similar tombs are only to be found in 
cathedrals or large edifices, such as Tewkesbury Abbey Church. 
These coffins were all found without lids. This is no uncommon 
occurrence, for the Abbots where generally buried in full 
canonicals, and the tombs were opened and plundered for the 
sake of the gold and silver ornaments which they contained. 
These altar tombs were enriched by presents from devotees. 
When Henry VIII. seized the one erected to Becket, besides 
works of art, and precious stones, he found the sum of £954, 
which had been presented by way of c offering' for one year. 
This amount is large, when it is remembered that Counsel has 
proved, from authentic sources, that at that period (the 
Eeformation), in this county, it cost "only Bl 6s. 8d. for 
the vicar's diet for the whole year, so that JB5 a-year, then, would 
maintain anybody in honour and credit ." The altar tomb of 
Edwaid II. , in Gloucester Cathedral, received sufficient contri- 
butions to rebuild and beautify many parts of the edifice, 
besides two ships of gold, and a cross of gold, containing a 
ruby. 

The altar tomb to Becket is still in Trinity Chapel, Cirencester, 



162 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

and the promises held out to devotees in return for their offerings ■ 
are yet preserved. The work of destruction was effected in two 
epochs in history — after the Reformation and at the time of the 
Civil Wars — when the Puritan soldier defaced everything that 
favoured of the Ecclesiastical that came in his way. The altar 
tombs at Tewkesbury were erected at the same time, which is to 
be expected when we consider that one of our townsmen was 
elected to be the Abbot of the Tewkesbury Convent. With two 
exceptions, the tombs at Tewkesbury have been opened and 
their contents removed. One of those which remained entire 
was examined by Mr. Lysons, and as its dimensions and 
architectural details so correspond to those in our own church, 
we can form an idea of what they once were. Mr. Lysons states 
that, when the lid of the stone coffin was first taken off, the body 
appeared surprisingly perfect, considering that it had lain there 
for nearly six hundred years ; the folds of the drapery were then 
very distinct ; but when exposed to the air, the whole soon 
crumbled aw T ay, and left little more than a skeleton. The boots, 
however, still retained their form, with a certain degree of 
elasticity, and hung in large folds about the legs. On his right 
hand lay a plain crosier of wood, neatly turned, the top of 
which was gilded, having a cross cut in it ; the handle was 
five feet eleven inches in length, and remarkably light ; and on 
his left side was the fragment of a chalice. 

" In the course of the excavations, two ancient stone coffins 
have been discovered in the South aisle, and as they w T ere free 
from human remains they have been removed iato the enclosed 
portion of the churchyard, where they continue open to 
inspection. These coffins, which are upwards of six feet in 
length and very massive, are formed of the weather stone still 
found in the neighbourhood. They are evidently of ancient 
date, probably about the beginning of the 13th century. They 
are supposed to have been the coffins of Abbots buried in the 
Church under the Catholic regime. Another stone coffin has 
been found in the north aisle of the building, but as it is 
firmly imbedded in the main wall, and offers no obstruction to 
the sanitary works now in progress, its removal has not been 
considered necessary." — Cheltenham, Examiner, May 30, 1S60." 

We have no doubt that the coffins thus recorded belonged to 
local Abbots. Prinn, in his MS account of Cirencester Abbey, 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 163 

refers to Richard de Cheltenham, Abbot of Cheltenham, who 
died in the reign of Edward IV», and other authorities quote 
the same title as late as the reign of Henry VII. 



"DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT COFFINS AT 
CHELTENHAM. 

In conformity with the order issued by the Privy Council, the 
Churchwardens are causing to be removed all the pews and 
monumental stones within the walls of the Parish Church. In 
taking up the floor in the South isle and in removing the wains- 
cot forming the end of a pew in the North aisle, three stone 
coffins were found of evident antiquity. These relics doubtless 
belong to the monastic era. They are of surprising thickness and 
of great w T eight. Hewn out of a solid block of native oolitic 
free stone w T ith a tre-foil head piece and internal central gutters, 
terminating with an crifice, they are all of the same architec- 
tural design, and measure, in length, six feet three inches. Two 
were found in the South isle, in parallel lines and close to the 
surface. One was entirely empty, and the other partly filled 
with bones of different sizes — thus indicating that they had 
been previously opened and the original deposit removed. No 
covering or lid was found. The coffin in the North aisle is 
firmly embedded in the wall of the sacred edifice, and is 
surmounted with a canopied arch. On reference to the work of 
Gough on " Sepulchral Monuments," it will be seen that these 
remains are ascribed to the "1 3th century. This date is confirmed 
by the order of architecture which surmounts the mural coffin in 
the North aisle — being Early Gothic, with ball flower decor- 
ations. The former existence of Altar Tombs within this edifice 
in the palmy days of Catholicism, is referred to in Goding's 
" History of Cheltenham, " where a list of endowments for the 
support of the same is recorded. It is not, therefore, impro- 
bable that what have been exhumed during the past week belong 
to this class, which was generally erected to the memory of the 
Abbot or some person of ecclesiastical note. Two of the coffins 
have been removed to the churchyard, w T here they may be 
inspected by the public at large. The other still retails its 



164 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

original position as an Altar Tomb, attached to the main walls. 
The entire of the monumental stones forming the flooring have 
been placed in the outer yard prior to the concreting over of the 
vaults " — {Cheltenham Mercury ', May, 1860). 

Similar discoveries have also been made at Gloucester, and 
the coffins found are of precisely the same style of architecture as 
those now described. In Gloucester Cathedral, three of these 
old relics of the past are preserved, which were found upon 
removing the old screen. " When these ancient parts were being 
removed, three stone coffins were found near the surface, 
containing the remains of three Abbots, with part of the gloves- 
and robes remaining. Nearer to the cloister door, another stone 
coffin was found, containing a sword, a pewter chalice, a staff, 
and two skulls." — (Counsel). On reference to Clarke's Archi- 
tectural work on Gloucester, it will be seen that in an engraving" 
of the chancel in St. Mary de Lode's, is included an altar tomb 
of exactly the same age and design as those which occur in our 
own Parish Church, and located like them, beneath a window. 
The discovery of lids at different times of the same age as these 
coffins, further proves how they have been disturbed in past 
times. 

" In the late improvement in the churchyard of Cheltenham, 
a large solid stone was found of the same shape as the coffins, 
or lids of coffins, now to be seen in Tintern Abbey — tapered 
from end to end ; there was no inscription remaining, but an 
Abbots staff or crook running its whole length, and elaborately 
carved round the edges. It has been preserved, and now lies on 
the left of the ancient eastern pathway." — (Graves of our 
Fathers, 1858). 

The very ancient custom of using branches of the Box tree 
in interments was also practised in this church. The box was 
regarded as emblematical of eternity by the Romans, and as 
such, at the present day, is used in various forms in the Holy 
Land, Smyrna, and Normandy. The poet Wordsworth shows 
that the box is still used at funerals in the North. In one of 
his beautiful poems occurs the following passage and foot 
note : — 

* The basin of Box wood just six months before, 
Had stood od the table at Timothy's door, 
A coffin through Timothy's threshold had past, 
One child did it bear, and that child the last." 



THE PAEISH CHURCH. 165 

"In several parts of the north of England, when a funeral takes 
place, a bason full of sprigs of Boxwood is placed at the door 
of the house from which the coffin is taken up, and each person 
who attends the funeral takes a sprig of this boxwood and 
throws it into the grave of the deceased." — (Wordsworth). In 
the year 1857, two vaults, near the Clerk's pew, in the middle 
aisle, were opened, and nine skeletons discovered without any 
vestige of coffins. Under the head of one was a board fourteen 
inches square, covered with a thick matting of the branches of 
the box tree, preserving a perfect moisture, and adhering to a 
skull, which had all the flesh preserved upon it as if it had been 
embalmed. The rest of the skeletons, which were noti nterred in 
boxwood, were perfectly dry, and appeared of ancient date. In 
Normandy, box was formerly used as a bedding fur coffins ; the 
corpse being laid on a bed of sprigs of the box tree. 

The classic carved altar piece and the communion table have 
only occupied their present position during the past half 
century. They were removed from Gloucester Cathedral, in 
1807, and at their erection, the remains of a stone altar of high 
antiquity were pulled down, and a wall painting w T as discovered. 
The carved altar piece is in the Elizabethian style, and until the 
past few years, was surmounted with figures and devices, life 
size, which were removed in order to give effect to the chancel 
widows. According to a minute in a book in the Chapter of 
Gloucester Cathedral, it was carved by Michael Bysack in 1704, 
and " that £20, free gift, was granted to him for extraordinary 
work to the altar." As a work of art it is admirable, but it is 
not in character with the Early Gothic edifice which contains it, 
and it has been proposed to remove it and to supply its place 
with a stained glass window. To the right of the present com- 
munion table is preserved the original Piscina, probably the 
largest and most perfect of its kind in England. This relic of 
the past, which is doubtless six centuries old, is in the Decor- 
ative Gothic and Canopied form. Its base is basin form, and 
perforated with holes. It held the consecrated water, with 
which the numerous articles used in administering the sacraments 
were continually purified. The water in which the priest's 
hands had been washed, that in which the chalice had been 
rinsed, and the consecrated host which time or accident had 
rendered impure, were also discharged through the same channel. 




166 HISTOKT OF CHELTENHAM. 

Budge., the county historian, observes — " The Piscina in the 
chancel is very handsomely finished. It 
was used for holding or draining the holy 
water; in some churches it was very plain, 
but in others, as in Cheltenham, highly 
ornamented." We give an illustration of 
this ancient relict of sacerdotal custom. 

The spiral tower which rises from the 
centre of the noble pile, is a prominent 
object for miles round the town. It is 167 
feet in height, and reposes upon a square 
basement, on the west side of which is 
inscribed — "Anno 1622: J. W.," which 
probably refers to some extensive reno- 
vation at that date. The architectural 
details of the spire are very beautiful, and justify us in 
assigning the period of its erection to the thirteenth century — • 
about 1250. It was anciently ornamented with the Royal Arms* 
as appears from the following entry in the Vestry Book i — ■ 
"Memorandum, that in this year, 1695, was the steeple of 
Cheltenham repaired from the upper hole to the top, by James 
Hill, of Cheltenham, stone mason, and in the same year was the 
King's Arms taken down and set on the west side of the said 
steeple or tower." The same authority also records that on 
June 7, 1810, a contract was signed with Messrs. Nash and 
Morgan, of London, " for taking down and rebuilding 30 feet 
of the steeple of St. Mary's Church, Cheltenham/' 

In the tower is a musical peal of ten bells. Eight of these 
bells were erected on April 26, 1824, at the expense of the 
parish, and the other two were added by contributions from the 
ringers. On the Tenor bell, these lines are engraved : — 

" T in prayer do combine ; 
The dead must hear 
A greater sound than mine/* 

On a tablet in the church is recorded that " Lodowick Packer* 
gent., gave in 1603, the third bell to this parish." From 
various entries in the Vestry Book, it appears that the first bells 
were cast by the same firm as executed those at [resent in use* 
the celebrated Rudhalls, of Gloucester. At this company's 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 167 

foundry, all the old bells were recast in 1697, and made into 
eight. On the original Treble bell was inscribed : — 

"{Abraham Iludhall cast all we, 

One thousand six bundled and twenty-three." 

These bells continued in use until within the past twenty-eight 
years, when, by a singular coincidence, after a lapse of two 
centuries, they were finally melted down at the original establish- 
ment. In 1S21, the Tenor bell was cracked during the ringing 
for Sunday morning service. On it was the verse annexed : — 

" I, to church the living call, 
And to the grave do summon all." 

In the tower is preserved a Sanctus bell of ancient form, called 
" the Saints' beil." It weighs about a hundred weight, and 
until recently, was used as a lire bell A fire engine and buckets 
for holding water were formerly kept in the entrance to the north 
porch, aud when the "little fire bell/' as it was called, was rung, 
the inhabitants at once repaired to the church. On a tablet 
facing the marygold-window, it is recorded that " The Right 
Hon. Lord Gage gave a fire engine for the use of this town. In 
the year 1721, Sir John Dutton, Bart., gave a fire engine for the 
use of this town." 

The following is the weight of the bells as recorded in the 
belfry: — 1st — 6cwt. Oqrs. 191bs. ; 2nd — 5cwt. 2qrs. Olbs ; 3rd. 
6cwt. Oqrs. 1 21bs. ; 4th— 6cwt. 2qrs. 21bs. ; 5th— 7cwt. Oqrs. 
31bs. ; 6th— 8cwt. lqr. 31bs. ; 7th— 9cwt 2qrs. 261bs. ; Stli— 
12cwt. Oqrs. 151bs. ; 9th— 15cwt. Oqrs. 25lbs. ; I Oth— 22cwt. 
2qrs. 2 Gibs. 

A society of ringers have been for some years formed, and 
regularly ring peals on Thursday evenings, as also on special 
occasions. Since the completion of the new set of bells, this 
society has performed upon them peals of a remarkable 
character— at one time amounting to 6000 changes. 

" St. "Mary's bells are chiming— 

Chiming with solemn air — 
The fleeting minutes timing 

To the hour of morning prayer. 
And as from tower and stee, le 

The weh ome music pours ; 
See ! crowds of ( hiisLian j eople 

Throng through the opened doers/' 



168 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The present appearance of the interior, with all its modern 
innovations, can convey but a faint idea of what the original 
edifice was when first completed by the Early English archi- 
tect. What a beautiful edifice it must have been, with its 
variety of altars, and altar tombs, and chantries, and chapels, 
all amply endowed, from one or the other of which Matins, or 
Vespers, or praise, were continually ascending to the Eternal, 
Well might the many Abbots of Cheltenham, who adorn the 
historic page, in this hallowed temple, surrounded with such 
scenes, nurse the flame that kindled their devotion, and which led 
them to prefer the cloister to the tumult and strife of the outer 
world. Well might the recluse select his chambered room in 
the North Porch, so near the devotional altar tombs, as 
fitting abode for the man of a studious and retiring disposition, 
there to seek that quiet and calm which the world with all its 
vanities can never confer. Well might the pilgrim, devotee, and 
resident worshipper, have been awe struck, as their eyes rested 
upon the numerous altars with their attendant priests, the 
illuminated picture with its mystical device which surmounted 
the high altar, the rood loft which exalted the sacred emblem of 
the cross before it at the elevation of the host. Well might they 
have been lost in feelings of wonder, devotion, and humility. 

In the Vestry Book it is said — " Memorandum, that in the 
yeare 1699, the chimes in the Parish Church was then erected, 
and the first tune set upon them was the 113th Psalm." In after 
years the chimes were still further improved, and played in 
addition, the Morning and Evening hymns, and the 104th 
Psalm. They continued to play regularly, and were repaired 
by the churchwardens up to 1821. The original "Cheltenham 
Guide," published in 1781, mentions that the Parish Church 
" is noted for a musical peal of eight bells, and a tuneable set of 
chimes, which play every three hours." The chimes still exist 
in the church tower, and their restoration would be a most 
desirable work. We trust that the attention of the parochial 
authorities will be directed to the subject, and that the ears of 
the present inhabitants will be once more enlivened with the 
sound of the old church chimes. 

The organ at present in use, which has recently been enlarged, 
was erected by voluntary contribution in 1810. It was first 
opened by a performance of Sacred music, in May, 1811. We 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 



169 



put on record the original subscribers to the organ, as a proof of 
the benevolent spirit then existing among the attendants of the 
sacred edifice. The list is taken from the advertisements 
acknowledging 'the contributions, which appearedin the Chelt- 
enham Chronicle of May 24, 1810 : — 

Mr. Minster 

Mr. J. Wildey 

Mr. J. Townsend 

Mr. J. Jones 

Mr. J. Nicholson 

Mr. Ruff 

Mr. J. Bishop, Jim 

Mr. W. Mayers 

Mr. G. Davis 

Mr. R.White 

Mr. W. Bastin 

Mr. E. Mathews 

Mr. W. Selden 

A. and B. Rogers 

Mr. R. .Foster 

Mr. Mid.ileton 

Mr.S. Hulbert 

Mr. Merrifield 

Mr. W. Haynes ... ... ... 

Mr. Bishop, Sen 

Mr. Hinks 

Mr. Heuney 

Mr. B. Jones 

Major Rail ... 

Mrs. Hurnphris 

Mr. Roberts 

Mr. Freeman 

Mr. Forty - 

Mr. Jordan 2 2 

Mr.J. Higgs 5 5 

Mr. S. Thornton 1 I 

Mr. Capstack 2 2 

Mr. Harris 1 1 

Mr. Saanders 1 1 

Mrs. Miller 2 2 

Mr. Sheldon, Hotel 1 1 

Mr. Cox 1 1 

Mr. Moody 1 1 

Mr. Pricker 1 1 

Mr. Trinder 110 

Mr. T.Billings 10 

Mr. B. Humphries 1 1 

Mr. M.Hale 110 

Mr. Kelley 110 

Mr. Bartlett 110 

Mr. Jennings 1 1 



Rev. Mr. Foulkes 


... 5 5 





Rev. Mr. Hughes 


... 10 





Mr. F.Wells 


... 10 





Sir R. Herries 


... 10 





Colonel Riudell 


... 10 o 





Mr. Newell 


... 5 





Mr. Pruen 


... 5 5 





Mr. H. Thompson 


... 5 5 





Mr.AbByrcb 


... 5 5 





Mr. T. Gwinnett 


... 10 o 





Mr. Gardner 


... 10 o 





Mr, G. Jones 


... 3 





Mr. Bickliara 


... 10 o 





Mr. Stiles 


... 1 





Mr. T. Smith 


... 2 2 





Mr. Newman 


... 3 3 





Mr. Kidman 


... 1 1 





Mr. Langbridge 


... 1 1 





Mr. C. Newmarch 


... 10 o 





Mr. Leager 


... 1 1 





Mr. H. Fowler 


... 1 1 





Mr. T. Jones 


... 5 5 





Mr. W.Stone 


... 1 1 





Mr. Liffully 


... 1 ] 





Mr. E.Smith 


... 2 2 





Mr. W. Hands 


... 1 1 





Mr. M. Yearsley 


... 1 1 





Mre. Lighton 


... 5 5 





Mr. Cox 


... 1 1 





Mr. Lawrence 


... 1 1 





Mr. Lambert 


... 1 1 





Mr. B. Buckle 


... 2 2 





Mr. Barrett 


... 1 1 





Mr. Clutterbuck 


... 2 2 





Mr. W. Mecey 


... 1 1 





Mrs. Havden 


... 1 1 





Mrs. Arkell 


... 1 1 





Mr. J. Arkell 


... 1 1 





Mr. F.Fuger 


... 1 1 





Mr. Brawn ... 


... 1 1 





Mr.Tork 


... 1 1 





Hon. Miss MoDson ... 


... 1 1 





Mr. R. Pruen 


... 5 5 





Mr. J. Ballenger 


... 1 1 





Mr. B. Chapman 


... 1 1 





Mr. G.W..ou 


... 1 1 






170 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



Mr. Smith, Bank 5 5 Mr. R. Paul 

Mr. Erieker 2 2 Mr. R. Hughes 

Mrs. Harward 2 2 Mr. John Wildey 

Dr. Burney 2 2 Captain Brisac 

Mr. S.Morris ... 5 5 Mr. Hurlston 

Mr. Dangerfield 110 Bev. Mr. Skillicorue ... 

Mr. Richatdson 110 Dr. Boisragon 

Mr. Hazelton 2 12 fi Mr. Brawd 

Mr. J. Byrch ... ... ... 2 2 Mr. Joseph Smith ... 

Mr. Hastings 110 Mr. Wra. Bishop 

Mr. Bennett 110 Mr. Welchraan 

Mr. Haseldine 110 Mr. V Morris 

Rev. Mr Fuwler 110 Mr. Reilly 

Mr. H. Jessop 2 2 

The Parish Church congregation established a Sunday School 
in July 1787. The children were taught in a small room over 
the North Porch, which, in the week, was used as a free Day 
School. The Sabbath School was supported by private contri- 
butions, and the very early date that it was commenced is an 
interesting and creditable fact— being only six years after Eaikes 
had first planned them at Gloucester — and before the scheme 
was publicly known. The Cheltenham Chronicle, of August 
24, 1809, contains the first notice (in its advertising columns) 
of a public appeal on behalf of these excellent institutions, 
which was introduced, locally, by the benevolent Eobert Eaikes, 
of Gloucester. . " Cheltenham. — A Sermon fof the Benefit of 
the Sunday Schools supported by Public Subscription, will be 
preached in this church, on Sunday next, August 27, by the 
Rev. John Hep worth, A.M., late Fellow of Caiub College, Cam- 
bridge. The Number educated at these Schools amounts to 
One hundred and twenty, who are partly clothed. It is 
requested that the inhabitants will give orders to have their 
Pews opened on the occasion." The same local paper of the 
31st August following, informs its readers that Mr. Hep worth 
preached in the Parish Church from Ecclesiasticus xxix chap. 11th 
verse : — " Lay tip thy treasure according to the commandments of 
the Most High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold." — 
The Editor observes that — "A Sermon more admirably 
calculated for the occasion, or better delivered, we believe, we 
have never heard, Mr. H's address to the public in behalf of the 
objects of the charity, was extremely impressive, and his address 
to the children themselves, was marked by a judicious, though 
energetic simplicity. The Collection amounted to £-68 15s. lid., 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 171 

and while we presume to return our thanks to the preacher, 
who also read the whole service, we cannot avoid remarking that, 
although the inducements to spend money are not more scanty 
at Cheltenham than at other Watering Places, the company 
have always evinced a very great degree of liberality on these 
occasions. " Another most important object wbich the congre- 
gation attained was the establishment of an Auxiliary Bible 
Society. Owing to the influence of the Incumbent, Dr. Foulkes, 
a public meeting was convened at the Town Hall, on September 
13, 1814, which was presided over by Thos. Baghot de laBere, 
Esq., J. P. The collection, after the meeting, amounted to one 
hundred guineas. The members of the congregation supported 
the society solely, until 1821, when the then Incumbent, the 
Rev. C. Jervis, convened another public meeting at the Assembly 
Rooms, at which the following persons were appointed a 
committee : — Dr. Thomas, Dr. Murley, Dr. Bradshaw, Mr. B. 
Newmarcb, Mr. Hall, Mr. Bromfield, Mr. Roughton, Mr. 
Henney, Mr. Jas. Fowler, Mr. Gyde, Mr. Colt, Mr. J. Fisher. 
Two only, of this committee, now survive — Dr. Murley and Mr. 
Gyde. Dr. Murley has ever been a most active member, and, 
since his retirement from medical practice, has devoted his 
time to the very benevolent work of circulating the Scriptures 
among the blind ; and besides Cheltenham, visits the greater 
part of England. According to the minute book in 1822, the 
order to the Parent Society was for 50 Testaments and 12 pica 
Bibles for distribution, and the selling price of the Bibles were 
seven shillings and sixpence. Such has been the success which 
has marked this truly excellent institution, that it has long since 
been enabled to support a Depository of its own in Clarence 
Street. According to the annual reports issued of the working 
of this society, it appears that from 1851 to I860 the following 
is the quantity of the Holy Scriptures circulated in Cheltenham : 
Bibles, 20,114; Testaments, 15,187; in Foreign languages, 
1268; Total 36,569. 

The Communion Service belonging to the Church is another 
proof of the liberality of the worshippers. It is, perhaps, one 
of the most beautifully executed Sacramental services in England, 
and was supplied to the Parish by the late Mr. Reviere, 
silversmith, of the town, at the time the Rev. C. Jervis was Incum- 
bent in 1825, at a cost of £200. Through the influence of the 



172 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

same minister, a new pulpit was erected ; the former one was 
piesented to the congregation by N. Berkeley, Esq., M.P., who 
further embellished it with crimson velvet hangings at the time 
of the royal visit of George III. 

The Parish Church congregation have always been noted for 
the liberality of their contributions. In 1816, when it was 
proposed to found a Provident Society for the Indigent Poor, the 
sum of £400 was raised after a sermon by the Eev. C. Jervis. 
During ten years that the dean of Carlisle held the living, the 
following sums were collected for the different objects named : — 

Irish Societies 

Distressed Irish 

Church Missionary Society 

Cheltenham Hospital and Dispensary 

National Schools and National Society 

Cheltenham Infant Schools 

Old Charity School 

Pastorial Aid Society 

Church Building Society and St. Paul's Church 

Magdalen Asylum aud Female Refuge 

Jews Societies 

Orphan Asylum 

C hristian Knowledge Society and Propagation 

of the Gospel 

Colonial Church Society 

Provident and Clothing Society 

New foundland Schools and for Eire at St. John's 
Several Collections of small sums amounting to 
Sacramental Alms and for the Poor 



1065 


6 


6 


135 


19 


7 


910 16 


H 


872 


2 10 


863 


6 


6i 


655 


5 


5 


271 11 


4 


568 17 


8* 


409 


11 


6* 


352 


11 


7 


304 


1 


5| 


112 


13 


1 


27± 


9 


10 


101 


4 


8| 


232 


5 


3 


184 12 10£ 


429 


19 


7 


3955 





9 



Total £11,709 16 8£ 



Making an average of £1170 19s. 8d. per annum, for the ten years. 

The annual statement of collections and charities, as issued in 
March, 1861, showed that the congregation had contributed 
£2052 Is. 2|d. during 1860. According to a parochial report 
in 1860, the number of sittings in St Mary's Church was 1175, 
and in the Temporary Church 1600. 

The Parish Church has always been most fully attended as a 
place of worship. The desire to obtain sittings in past years 
has been such that from £10 to £15 per annum has been paid 
for the rent of a pew. The parties who received this high rental 
were the owners of what is called '• faculty pews." This owner- 
ship was claimed by virtue of some old agreements and faculty 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 173 

records. The Vestry Books, under dates June 14th, 1786, 
April 20th, 1791, September 27th, 1791, and January 30th, 
1793, report meetings of the inhabitants upon the subject. It 
would appear that by a majority of votes, it was on those occa- 
sions agreed that certain additional galleries were to be erected 
by private contributions, and that the builders were, in return 
for such expenditure, to have certain pews allotted to them : — 
€i To them, and to their respective families, and to the future 
owners and occupiers, and possessors of their said respective 
messuages or dwelling houses aforesaid, and their respective 
families, wherein they might respectively sit, stand, kneel, and 
hear, and attend Divine service and sermons, exclusive of all 
other persons whomsoever." This act of the parishioners, 
although it increased the means of accommodation for public 
worship, yet, in an architectural point of view, it destroys the 
good effect which the interior would have to the eye of a visitor, 
the galleries having been erected without regard to the original 
style and plan of the sacred edifice, — an evil which has been 
noticed by most of the old historians. The system of letting 
and of selling these faculty pews was abolished after an Arch- 
deaconal Visitation in 1846, and " the owners or occupiers'* 
now use them. The only payment upon the holders since that 
period is one voluntarily agreed to, which amounts to a few 
shillings annually, and is applied towards the incidental expenses 
of conducting public worship. In 1628, Mrs. Ann Norwood, 
the wife of the then lessee of the manor, erected, at her own 
expense, a gallery at the west end. It was removed in 1813, 
and several others with it, which were located in the nave, in 
order to make room for additional pews on the ground floor. 
The residue of the pews not facultied, or claimed by prescriptive 
right, belong to the parishioners, and are vested in the Church- 
wardens for the time being. 

" It is to be lamented that the want of accommodation for 
the numerous families attending Divine service has rendered 
it necessary to erect so many galleries, whereby the beauties of 
the interior are totally obscured, or lost in confusion." — (Kudge.) 

" Cheltenham Church displays, externally, much architectural 
beauty. The handsome interior is entirely spoilt by galleries 
and pews." — (Gomonde). 

" The original building was a truly fine one, and rich in its 



174 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

architecture. The pews and galleries of the Church greatly 
disfigure it." — (Hugall). 

On September 8, 1835, the Parish Church was honoured with 
a Triennial Visitation of Dr. Monk, Bishop of Gloucester. No 
visitation had previously taken place here since 1801— a period 
of thirty -four years — the Bishop having transferred that honour 
to Tewkesbury. On Dr Monk restoring it to Cheltenham, on 
this occasion, a deputation of the inhabitants waited upon his 
lordship to thank him for his mark of favour, and afterwards 
invited him to a public dinner. Dr. Baring, the next Bishop, 
preached his first sermon in this church, in Nov. 1856, after 
which nearly £80 w T as collected for Church Extension. 

The large attendance at this place of worship, united with the 
necessity of closing it during its sanitary purification, led to the 
erection of, in 1859, a very elegant Temporary Church, in St. 
George's Place. Since the re*opening of the parent edifice in 
1861, services have been conducted at both buildings to full 
audiences. Such has been the increase of the population, that 
the original structure now contains about half the congregation. 
We have no doubt that some future historian will have to record 
the erection of a more spacious structure for the worshippers in 
St. Mary's district. 

The Monuments. — From the history and architecture of 
the structure we pass on to notice the monuments. From 
the discoveries of ancient coffins, which we have detailed, there 
is every probability of its having been used as a place of sepulchre 
for the past thousand years. It is this fact that engenders so 
many pleasing associations. We have many beautiful churches 
in our town, displaying their architectural details as designed by 
modern artist, but we have but one Parish Church, with its 
endearing ties of long departed mortals. W T e know of no 
greater pleasure than to enter it alone and unmolested— to pace 
the dim aisle, interrupted by no other sound than our own foot- 
steps. The solemn stillness of the sanctuary enters the recesses 
of our mind ; the world and its giddy doings are for awhile 
forgotten, and our spirits hold communion with those who have 
long been gathered to their fathers. The study of history, and 
the fulfilment of parochial duties, have caused us to spend many 
an hour within the precints of the church wherein we worshipped 
in our boyhood. We have called to mind the many thousands 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 175 

who have in succession offered up their Sabbath sacrifices — we 
have gazed upon the cold and monumental effigies that meet us 
here and there — empty and silent images of the once great and 
titled of our town — until, in imagination, we became lost to the 
material world. We have thought of the ties of kindred and of 
home, that they tell us must have been rent asunder. "VYkat 
different feelings animated the breast of thos3 whose names are 
sculptured? The warrior* the faithful pastor, the affectionate 
parent, the devotee of literature and science, all meet the eye in 
" marble arrav," and seem to warn us that 

"The sculptur'd marble shall dissolve in dust, 
And fame, and wealth, and honours pass away j 

Not such the triumphs of the good and just, 
Not such the glories of eternal day." 

The " Good Samaritan" window, as it illumines our path 
with its "dim religious light" across the sacred precints of the 
Holv Communion, reminds us of one, who, but yesterday, held 
the lordship of the Manor ; and who, in the midst of a virtuous 
career, was suddenly summoned, in the prime of life, from earth 
to heaven. The reverence of worshipping generations — the 
breathing of devotional prayers, century after century; the 
charitable tablets o( the piously disposed, have each and all 
hallowed the place, shedding over it a holy and and silent calm. 
There is attached to the Parish Church a reverence proportionate 
to its antiquity, which suggest a train of ideas and sympathies 
that would not be engendered by viewing the most costly build- 
ing that the artist of to-day can rear. The mural tablets, as 
well as monuments are numerous, and their style and inscriptions 
prove that they commemorate those that were once the wealthy of 
their race. This fact, added to the size of the structure, demon- 
strates the former importance of the parish, both in a parochial and 
religious point of view. 

The oldest memorials are the flat stones covering the vaults 
which form the floor of the church. The continual tread of foot- 
steps have defaced these to a great extent, but here and there the 
name and heraldic distinction of the once great and noble 
are decipherable. William Piinn, and members of that 
celebrated race, have their last resting place denoted by a 
recently restored flat stone, nearly opposite the communion table 
(as detailed in the chapter on the history of the Prinn family.) 



176 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Adjoining, is the family vault of the Greville family* This is 
unquestionably the oldest memorial stone now in the church that 
is clearly traceable. It is a relict of one of those fine brass 
mementoes for which this county is justly celebrated. It denotes 
the burial place of the renowned Judge Greville, who sat in the 
Common Pleas during the reigns of Henry VII. and Henry 
VIII., and other branches and descendants, including a Kector 
of Whittington. They resided at Arle Court— a mansion that 
yet retains, both externally and internally, marks of antiquity. 
On the chancel floor is the effigy, in brass, of Greville, time of 
Henry VII. The monumental brasses afford a most valuable 
history of art, from 1392 to 1626, exhibiting a view of the 
costume worn by our ancestors, both civil and military, rarely 
to be met with so perfect in any other county in England."— 
(Gomonde). Considering its exposed situation, the Greville 
incised slab is not badly mutilated. On it may yet be clearly 
traced the effigies, in brass, of the Judge in his judicial robes, his 
wife, his three sons, and seven daughters ; round the margin of 
the stone, on brass, is the remains of the original inscription as 
follows :— 

— — Slaughter, totycfje TOilliam tfecessto t!)e XE flam of J^arrfje, in 
u> EEHti) gere'of tl)e reign of Itinglenrrj SJIEEE. 

An interesting memorial also occurs in the chancel on the 
left hand side of the Communion Table. This is in the form of 
a sunken Tablet, having two pannels, and the arrangement of 
the letters on the body of the stonework is remarkably curious. 
This ancient mural relic was erected by a former Incumbent of 
the parish to the memory of his wife, who Was a daughter of 
Lady Sandy's, and also " to Maria, his second daughter. " The 
affectionate inscription upon it is in harmony with what history 
has recorded of the inner life of the writer. It is " the sad 
memorial of John English, Dr. in Divinity, 53 who, out of love 
to the cause of religion, filled the office of Incumbent when the 
salary was only £20 per annum, in the reigns of James I. and 
Charles I. Dr. English was a martyr to the cause of Evan- 
gelical truth, and was one of the many who suffered confinement 
in the common gaol during the Puritanical persecution. The 
tablet alludes to this painful incident, and sets forth that his 
wife died of a broken heart, in consequence of his separation 



THE PARISH CHURCH. 177 

from her u by eighteen weeks' close imprisonment." So highly 
was Dr. English esteemed, that his tablet to his wife's memory 
was originally placed directly over the Communion Table, and in 
that position the remains of Mrs. English and her daughter were 
found at the time the Church was concreted in 1860. When 
the classic altar piece was erected, the churchwardens had the 
tablet carefully removed to its present place, beneath the small 
chancel window. We give a copy of the inscription in the form 
in which it occurs on the following page. 

Among the many tablets and monuments which adorn the 
walls of the sacred pile of a modern character and worthy of 
note, may be mentioned those intended as memorials to the 
following persons : — Rev. C. Jervis, M. A., former Incumbent of 
the parish, and Chaplain to the Duke of Cambridge ; Sir W. 
Myers, Bart., who died at the Battle of Albuera, and his mother, 
Lady Elizabeth Myers; General John Pennycuicke, C.B, .K.H., 
and Alexander, his son, who were both killed at the Battle of 
Chillanwallah ; Lieut.-Colonel W, R. Elliott, K.H. ; Lieut. - 
Col. W. C. Lennox, H.E.I.C.T. ; Diana, the wife of Sir John 
D. Oyly, Bart. ; Lieut. -Col. Berkeley, Royal Marines ; Letitia 
Baroness Clonbrock ; Sir R. Le Poor Erench ; Sir Ralph 
"Woodford, Bart., Envoy Extraordinary to the Court at Denmark ; 
Mrs. Entwisle, mother to the Duchess of St. Albans ; T. 
Griffiths, Esq., solicitor, &c. 

Near the centre of the edifice and not far from the pulpit, 
there is a large tablet that deserves a special notice here. It is 
to the memory of one that the town owes a debt of gratitude to 
— Captain Skillicorne, who first planned out the walks of the 
original Spa, which was soon to be patronized by the King of 
the realm. 

The inscription on this memorial is of great length, and gives 
dates and particulars, in reference to the first discovery of the 
Mineral Waters, that are of local interest. The historical 
associations connected with it will be found fully detailed 
in the account of the Skillicorne family given in a previous 
chapter. Not far from this monument is a small marble 
tablet, which is also connected with the same period. It 
denotes the resting place of an humble, but significant person — 
Mrs. Eorty — who was pumper at the Original Spa at the period 
His Majesty King George III. drank the waters ; and, at whose 



178 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



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THtf PARISH CHURCH. 179 

request* her portrait was taken. It was erected by subscription 
among the visitors of that period. 



THE COURT FAMILY. 

Over the old narrow Gothic doorway which leads from the 
churchyard to the chancel, on the inner wall, hi an elevated 
position, there is a handsome mural tablet. The letters upon ifc 
were clearly legible a few years since, but, .recently, they have faded 
away ; and as time rolls on, these pages will, perhaps, be the 
only record of their import. This nearly obliterated monument 
is intended to be an affectionate memorial of a female member of 
the Heytesbury family in Wiltshire, of which Lord Heytesbury 
is the present representative. This now obscure testimonial, 
which was chiseled by one of the greatest sculptors of the day, tells 
a sad and melancholy tale. 

Cheltenham, at the period when its Spa waters were first 
becoming known, and the titled and wealthy were attracted to 
taste their mineral virtues, was the scene of a most revolting 
murder. The victim was a Mrs. A. Court (one of the many 
visitors who patronised the original well), of Heytesbury, in 
Wiltshire, who, with her husband, W. P. A. Court, Esq., and a 
family consisting of three daughters and four domestics, took 
up their abode in the town, at a house on the site of the present 
York Tavern. Amongst the number of domestics was a footman, 
30 years of age, of the name of Joseph Armstrong. At different 
periods, sums of money and articles of value had bee a missed 
from the dwelling-house, and the robber was in vain searched for. 
One morning, Mrs. Court accidently passed by the dressing- 
room of her husband, at an early hour, and detected Joseph 
Armstrong in the act of taking jewellery from a chest. Crime 
too often begets crime. Armstrong, stung with terror at the 
thought of being discovered, resolved upon destroying the only 
being who could give evidence in a court of law against him. 
The serving-up of breakfast offered an opportunity for carrying 
his design into effect, and which proved to be, unfortunately, 
successful. Armstrong infused a large portion of arsenic into 
the tea-cup of his innocent mistress, which produced its dele- 



180 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

terious effects almost immediately \ she only lingered until the 
following morning, September 23, 1776, when she expired in 
the 32nd year of her age. Shakespeare truly says that — 

" Murder, 'though it hath no tongue, 

Will yet speak with moat miraculous organ." 

And so it proved in this instance. The husband of the victim 
had strong suspicions of the causes which incited Armstrong to 
perpetrate the execrable crime, and upon search being made, a 
paper containing arsenic and many of the articles stolen, were 
found in his private chest, and he was handed over to the 
officers of justice, charged with the twofold crime of robbery and 
murder. The murderer escaped from the house immediately 
after the funeral of his mistress, which increased the opinion of 
his guilt. With him went a spaniel dog, a favourite one of the 
master. This animal led to the discovery of Armstrong's 
hiding-place. The officers had been in search for three days, 
and on the evening of the third day, they observed the dog on 
the London-ioad, near to Frog-mill. Considering that this was 
a good clue, they watched the animal into a wood adjoining, and 
following tim, they found the murderer secreted in a tree. The 
youth and exalted station of Mrs. Court gave increased interest 
to the tragedy, and caused a great sensation, as is evident from 
the accounts of the affair yet extant in the Gentleman 8 Magazine, 
Newgate Calendar , and the Morning Post, published at the time. 
The murderer was conveyed to Gloucester Gaol, and took his 
trial at the Spring Assizes, 1777. He w^s convicted, ordered 
to be executed at Gloucester, and his body afterwards to be 
hung in chains on a gibbet, as near the spot where he committed 
the foul crime as the parish authorities would allow. Between 
the day of his condemnation and that fixed for his execution, 
Armstrong made several determined attempts at self-destruction, 
but they were all thwarted by the vigilance of the gaoler. At 
that period, the sanguinary criminal laws were in full force, and 
the doctrine of " blood for blood" held paramount sway over 
the feelings of the community. Armstrong was duly executed 
amidst the execrations of a numerous multitude, and died the 
death of ignominy ; and the remaining portion of the sentence 
was carried out. Amongst the many events which have wrought 
such important changes in the position of this town was that of 



THE COURT FAMILY. 181 

enclosing all the commonable lands of the district, half a 
century since. One of the many lands thus enclosed was situate 
a little below North Lodge, the late residence of Lord Dunally, 
and denominated "The Marsh. " At the time the murder was 
committed, " The Mc>rsb," according to Moreau's Tour to 
Cheltenham Spa, was one of the earliest drives for visitors. 
" The most common ride," he says, " has generally been in the 
Marsh at the back of the town, a mile round, with a pleasant 
view of the neighbouring hills." The Marsh, being thus a 
public road and waste land, was selected as the spot for the 
exhibition of the retribution of offended justice. In the centre 
of the Marsh, a lofty gibbet was erected, and lest it should 
become mutilated by time or by any malicious persons, the posts 
were pierced with pieces of iron and massive cc hob nails. 5 ' On 
the cross-bar of this gibbet, was suspended, in strong chains, 
the body of Armstrong, the murderer. The body was publicly 
brought from Gloucester on a low, open four-wheel truck, drawn 
by a horse. A considerable number assembled to witness its 
being placed on a gibbet, which was done with all the usual 
formularies of an execution. The office of hangman was performed 
by Mr. Artus, to whom was awarded the fee of half a guinea for 
his unpleasant task. When the corpse had been suspended 
about an hour, in consequence of the weight of the chains, the 
cross-bar broke, and it fell to the ground. A strong piece of 
oak having been procured, the body was again raised, and finally 
remained. The Marsh became deserted as a public drive ; its 
name was associated with terror and superstition in the minds of 
the inhabitants generally ; no one would pass that way when 
evening had once set in, for fear of sharing a like fate with 
ei Tarn O'Shanter." The precise spot where the gibbet stood 
was where a gate has been erected in the by-lane behind Lord 
Dunally's residence, leading to the Marie-hill estate, and in 
almost a direct line with Dunally Street and the present 
Henrietta Street, the ancient "Fleece Lane." Mrs. Court lies 
buried in a vault near the south entrance into the Old Church- 
yard. Over the vestry door in the Parish Church, at the spot 
we have been describing, her afflicted husband erected to her 
memory a neat white marble tablet, on which is the following 
inscription, by the celebrated Westmacott : — 



182 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



To the Memory of KATHEBINE, 

The "Wife of William P. A. Court, of Heytesbury in the County 

of Wilts, Esq., 

Who departed this Life on the 23d day of Sept. 1776, 

in the 32nd year of her age. 

The strictest Honour and Virtue, Elegance of Manners, 

Integrity of Heart, and Delicacy of Sentiment, 

Endeared her to a Select Circle of Friends and Acquaintance. 

She was cherished as an only Child by an indulgent Father, 

Beloved from Infancy by a tender Husband, 

In whose Arms She Died an unnatural Death Effected by Poison, 

Administered by the hands of a Cruelly Wicked Livery Servant 

Whose Resentment, at being detected in Theit, 
Prompted him to Perpetrate this horrid and Execrable Crime. 



The relatives of the murderer, who resided near this town, were 
of respectable origin, and had but recently settled here from 
Dublin, and were, of course, annoyed at the public exhibition 
that was being made of the corpse. One morning, about twelve 
months after the erection of the gibbet, the body and the 
ponderous chains were missing. It was believed at the time 
that the friends of the deceased had removed it ; the ground was 
broken up by the hoofs of horses, so that it appeared to have 
been forced down by horse power, but all search for the body 
proved fruitless. The posts continued to remain in their original 
position until the ground became private property, under the 
provisions of the afore-named Enclosure Act. When these posts 
were in the act of being removed for the purpose of planting 
hedges and enclosing the ground, the chain and the bones of the 
murderer were found directly beneath the cross-bar from whence 
they had been suspended, a few feet below the surface. The 
man (a very young one) who made the discovery, was so terror 
stricken, in consequence of so many superstitious tales that 
were then current on the subject, that he died in a few days 
afterwards ! The skull of the murderer was purchased, at the 
time of its exhumation, by Dr. Minster, and the remainder of 
the skeleton by Dr. Newell, both eminent medical men residing 
in the town at the time. The spot is, even to this day, a very 
solitary one, and some idea may be formed of its desolate 
character when it is stated that it formed a " Marsh," without a 



THE COURT FAMILY. 183 

single habitation. The main posts were removed to near the 
present Clonbrock House, and were used as gate-posts. The 
spirit of enterprise which characterised the residents of this 
*' Queen of Watering Places" some years ago, led to the removal 
of all that was unsightly or not calculated to accord with the 
taste of the fashionable visitor. These gibbet-posts formed the 
gate entrance to a boarding-school whieh then existed, and not 
only their removal, but their final destruction was resolved upon, 
for fear they should again conjure up some more " midnight 
spectres," This was ultimately accomplished by committing 
them to a bonfire, specially kindled for the purpose ; and thus 
€nds the last link in the .chain of the history of the tragical 
murder committed at Cheltenham ! 

Like the interior of the edifice, the churchyard without is the 
silent depository of many families of distinction. Here are 
monuments to the memory of Mrs. Entwisle, the Mother of Her 
Oraee the Duchess St Albans ; Sir Isaac Heard, Garter, 
King at Arms ; Sir John Maclean, &c, members of the Napier 
family, lie interred near the central entrance from the High 
Street. On a tomb, to the memory of Captain G. Young- 
husband, is the following additional inscription: — "In 1851, 
was renewed by Lady Napier, the only sister of the late 
€aptain G. Younghusband, E.N., and wife of Admiral Sir Charles 
Napier, as a sincere tribute of affection to her lamented brother." 
The ancestors of the rich and eccentric banker of Gloucester, 
James Wood, Esq., are buried about midway along the path 
which leads from the High Street to Chester Walk. At the 
time the vestry was enlarged, the remains of two old head- 
stones were built in with the outer wall, bearing date 1607 and 
1614. 

Amongst so many mementoes of the dead which record 
the resting place of the titled and wealthy, are the 
remains of a few that belong to the humbler ranks in life. 
"These are fast fading away, and, in order to rescue them from 
oblivion, and to illustrate the period when the town was 
occupied by the usual residents of a country village, we transcribe 
a few epitaphs, noteable for their quaintness and eccentricities. 
About midway along the path leading from the High Street 
to the chancel, is a flat-stone, forming the burial place of one 
of the old families of the town. The following inscription, 



184 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

which used to attract the attention of visitors, was once clearly 
legible upon it. It is now nearly defaced by the continual tread 
of footsteps;— 

iC To the memory of John Higgs, died 28'2&, 

Here lies John Higgs, 
A famous man for killing pigs, 
For killing pigs was his delight 
Both morning, afternoon , and night, 
Both heats and cold he did endure, 
"Whieh no physician could e're cure ; 
His knife is laid, his work is done, 
I hope to heaven his soul is gone." 

Not far from this vault is a headstone* on which is 

inscribed : — 

46 To the memory of John Paine, blacksmith, died 179&v 

My sledge and hammer lies reclined. 
My bellows pipe has lost its wind, 
My fire's extinct, my forge decayed, 
And in the dust my vice islayed, 
My coal is spent, my iron's gone, 
My nails are drove, my work is done." 

On a small broad headstone are the following brief bitt 

curious lines : — 

''Tothe memory of Isaac Bellinger, died 1721. 

Keader! pray covet not this world, 
Out of it you may soon be hurled,. 
For as a wheel it turns about,, 
And it was a wheel that turned me out.'* 

An Innkeeper who was connected with the * Crown'* and 
H "White Hart," thus chronicled in witty terms his worldly 
connections .— 

•' In memory of Amos Quimby, 
My * Crown* to God I do resign, 
My children to a faithful friend^ 
My wife was left to weep 
When I the * Crown' forsook. " 

A Church House existed at the Chester Walk entrance to 
the churchyard until August IS, 1813, when it was removed by 
an order of the Vestry, in consequence of its dilapidated 
condition. Upon taking down the key stone of the arch of the 
doorway, the date a.d. 1507, was discovered. It afforded 
shelter for four indigent inhabitants, and formed a sort of Alms 



THE RECTORY. 185 

House without an endowment. This relic of the monastic era 
is thus alluded to in the Jurors' Report at the Manor Office, in 
1625: — "That there is no land or rents, to their knowledge 
concealed, detained, or denied, other than the Church House, 
which standeth for the most part in the churchyard 55 These 
houses were built before the monastic dissolution ; and when 
Protestantism was first the law of the land. They were in 
operation until the old poor law introduced poor rates to relieve 
the locally distressed. The poor inhabitants were regaled in 
them, and the sums collected for that object yielded more than 
was necessary, and prevented any appeal to the public for a local 
tax. Eosbrooke shows that the surplus in some local parishes 
was sufficient to keep the church in repair. He says that two 
modes were resorted to to raise the money spent in Church 
Houses ; the Offertory, every month, which, in the case of Dr. 
Hammoud, of Westridge, was so successful in his parish, 
"that there was little need of ever making any tax for the 
poor, he even got a stock for apprenticing poor children, and a 
surplusage to assist neighbouring parishes." "The Church- 
wardens' wives used to collect ; a custom still used in Catholic 
countries. 55 

" Here, also, was a Church House ; the lower rooms of these 
were habitations of the poor ; in the upper room was held the 
Manorial Court and Vestry ; every Sunday morning a market 
was held for all kinds of provisions, and here the inhabitants 
had their music and dancing. 55 — (Fosbrooke.) 

Aubery tells us that in his day no rates for the poor were 
levied, but that the church ale of Whitsuntide — to use his own 
words — " did the business. " In every parish there was a place 
called the " Church House, 55 to which belonged " spits, crocks, 
and utensils for cooking. 55 In these houses, once a year, the 
people of the parish were wont to assemble. 

" Before the Reformation, there were no poors 5 rates ; the 
charitable doles given at religious houses, and church ales in 
every parish, were sufficient. In every parish there was a 
' Church House, 5 to which belonged spits, pots, crocks, &c, for 
dressing provisions. Here the housekeepers met, and were merry, 
and gave their charity. The young people came there too, and 
had dancing, bowling, shooting at butts, &c. 55 — (Antiquarian 
Repertory). 



186 



HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 



The churchyard was originally exposed, and being a place of 
public thoroughfare, much injury was done to the tomb stones. 
♦Several very ancient conventual flat stones, with Lombardic 
inscriptions, by the North Porch door, were gradually mutilated. 
This was further effected by the spot being used as a play ground, 
by the scholars attending the Charity School which was carried 
on over the porch, until the room in Devonshire Street was 
erected. The present enclosure of the yard by iron railings was 
effected in 1 855, through the exertions of C. Hale, a former 
town surveyor, at a cost of £650 : half was raised by voluntary 
contributions, and the rest paid out of the Commissioners 5 Rate. 
The author of a " Tour to Cheltenham Spa," 1806, observes : — 
" The churchyard is, by Mr.|Moreau, called the most beautiful in 
England, extending from East to West, about three hundred 
feet, and rendered particularly agreeable by its walks being 
shaded with double rows of lime trees, which surround and 
cross it. At the South- West gate, a neat gravel walks leads to 
the Church Mead, and through this, another to the Chelt, over 
which a draw bridge is thrown to form a passage to the public 
walks, planned by Norborne Berkeley, Lord Bottetourt. The 
church spire, rising from the walk, forms a very pleasing point 
of view from the Well " 

The Cross. — In thechurch- 
yard is a stone cross of high 
antiquity. The basement evi- 
dently belongs to the early part 
of the thirteenth century. The 
cross consists of a single shaft, 
rising from the centre of a pe- 
destal, on each side of which is 
a flight of massive stone steps. 
Until within the past few years, 
two sun dials were placed on 
the apex, as represented in our 
sketch. The origin of these 
parochial crosses are referable to 
various causes, both of a local 
and national character. They 
were placed in churchyards 
" to inspire reverence for the 




THE RECTORY. 187 

mysteries which the people were about to witness." " Crosses 
. were sometimes boundaries ; sometimes erected to record 
remarkable events, as where a battle had been fought, or persons 
slain therein ; sometimes placed on the spot where any singular 
instances of God's mercy had been shown ; or where a person 
had been murdered by robbers, or met with any violent death, 
where the corpse of any great person rested ; and very often in 
churchyards to remind the people of the benefits vouchsafed to 
us by the Cross of Christ ; and in early times at most places of 
public concourse. At those crosses the corpse, in carrying to 
church, was set down, that all the people attending might pray 
for the soul of the departed. It was customary for mendicants 
to station themselves at crosses to solicit alms for Christ's sake, 
and pennances were sometimes finished at them, which concluded 
with weeping and the usual marks of contrition." — (Archaeo- 
logia). 

M Crosses in churchyards, seem to have had other uses ; for, 
in the earlier ages, in some places, where they had no church 
built, Divine service was performed under a cross in some open 
and convenient place." — (Rudge). "Here stood a cross upon 
the void ground, and that the same cross was worshipped by the 
parishioners there, as crosses be commonly worshipped in 
churchyards." — (Vestry Eecords, Nov. 25, 1449, Mary- 
Magdalen, London.) 



CHAPTER XI. 



©f)e 3ttUctorg. 

The past history of the Incumbency of the parish is replete with 
incidents which illustrate the different phases of religious faith 
through many successive ages. The enquiry divides itself into 
two separate branches — the period before, and the period after 
— the Reformation. Prom the first local establishment of 
religious institutions by the early Saxon converts down to the 



188 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

overthrow of Catholicism by Henry VIIL, Cheltenham had 
ample endowments for the support of ministers to its ancient 
church, chapels, and chantries. From the days of Protestantism 
downwards, the property forming these endowments passed into 
private hands, and as a consequence, the maintenance of religious 
worship has been fraught with some difficulty. The lands 
connected with the living were of considerable value, and where 
leased out from time to time to parties by the reigning monarch, 
on condition that ministers were supported out of the income so 
arising. The non-fulfilment of these conditions has caused 
most injurious effects. This has arisen in some measure from 
the practice of sub-letting io individuals who were called 
" farmers of tythes." During the early reign of the Protestant 
faith, one of the longest lessees was the celebrated philosopher 
and statesman, Lord Chancellor Bacon. And during the same 
period another notable character, in religious history, was 
Incumbent — the persecuted Puritan Divine, Dr. English. The 
churches of Cheltenham and Charlton were one united living, 
and are both referred to in the same documents. 

The ancient ecclesiastical history of Cheltenham unfolds many 
very curious incidents, which fully demonstrate the former 
antiquity and importance of the town. A prominent portion of 
that history is the evidence which proves the early establishment 
and subsequent endowment of our local curacy. The great 
extent and celebrity of this " Queen of Watering Places" 
renders it desirable to ascertain, as far as possble, every parti- 
cular concerning its past vicissitudes, and the erection of many 
modern places of worship has increased the antiquity and 
interest connected with the original living. It will be therefore 
not an uninteresting task to trace out the first endowment and 
subsequent vicissitudes of the perpetual curacy of Chelten- 
ham. 

The history of the Cheltenham incumbency may, in fact, be 
said to commence with the first traceable account of a local 
Christian institution. At the period Doomsday Book was 
written, in the eleventh century, " priests" are mentioned as 
supported by land, and " Beinbald holds one hide and half, 
which belongs to the Church." Thus it is evident that, long 
prior to that date, a corporate ecclesiastical body must have been 
in existence. Of one of the priests thus recorded, it is said that 



THE RECTORY. 189 

" Keinbald was Deau of the Collegiate Church of Cirencester, 
and in 1065, 23rd, Edward the Confessor, Chancellor of 
England, set his hand as a witness, subscribing himself such, to 
the Charter of Privileges, granted by that King to the Abbey 
of Westminster. Reinbald lies buried in the body of the 
church of Cirencester. — (Cheltenham Guide, 1786). 

From these authentic sources we learn that endowments for 
the support of a church had existed in the Saxon era, and from 
that early age down to the rejection of Catholicism as the 
religion of the State, ample provision had been made for the 
maintenance of a local priesthood. The property which Saxon 
and Norman, in succession, gave for the support of religious 
rites, was enhanced by further bequests in following age?. 
Henry I. gave a mill and various lands in the vicinity, then 
producing annually £24, as an endownment. At this time the 
rector of Leckhampton had to contribute two shillings every 
year in aid of the endowment. The next possessor of our 
curacy was the then flourishing abbey of Cirencester, it having 
been given to that institution by Henry in 1133 ; and the gift 
was confirmed with great pomp and ceremony by Pope Celestine, 
in 1289. It would appear that the Cheltenham curacy at this 
period w r as an object of peculiar interest, for, immediately after 
it came into possession of Cirencester Abbey, the value of the 
endowment was enhanced by the gift of seven large estates by 
six celebrated noblemen ; among the number was Sir Walter 
Hawkes, the first local crusader. The records of Lanthony 
Priory (the ruins of which still exist near Gloucester) relate, 
that some of the lands forming the endowment, and situate in 
Down-Hatherley, w T ere rented by that edifice for domestic 
purposes, and an annual rental paid for the same in 1251. The 
lamentable civil wars which took place during the succeeding 
reigns of Henry IT. and Henry III., caused great reversions in 
the religious property of the country. In 1415, the second 
year of the last reign, our curacy w r as possessed by the richly 
endowed Nunnery of Sion, which w T as situated at Brentford. 
At length came the memorable reign of Henry YIIL, and with 
it the dissolution of all monastic property — and, as a conse- 
quence, our curacy once more became invested in the Crown. 
Like all similar curacies, it was succesively let on lease on May 
22, 1560, to Sir Henry Jerningham; on May 10,1592, to Sir 



190 HIST'OfiY OS* CHELTENHAM* 

W k Greenwell ; arid on February 27th, io97> to Francis Bacon, 
Esq., afterwards the Lord Chancellor, and the renowned states- 
man and philosopher ; and ultimately it wa3 granted by King 
James to Sir Baptist Hieks . 

In previous chapters, we have had to refer" to the services 
which a former Steward of the Manors of Cheltenham and 
Charlton has rendered as a recorder of local events. To John 
Stubbs we are again indebted for the preservation of some of 
the most curious and interesting documents belonging to the 
Curacy since the days of Protestantism* The manuscripts, 
from the facts they contain, are most invaluable, as elucidating 
the early struggle for support made by the Anglican Church. 
We print these documents verbatim, feeling assured that they 
will be read with interest* on account of the light which they 
throw upon the history of religious institutions at the dawn of 
the Eeformation : 

" Extract of a Letter from J* StuVbss, to Dr. Mansell, Principal of 
Jesus College, Oxford, dated Charleton Kinges, June 25, 1633, 
as to the state of the cures and their maintenance in Cheltenham 
and Gliarleton Kinges* 

" Eec'oria du Cheltenham cu capella de Charleton R'g eidem 
annexat. com. Glouc'r, 

"40 Eliz. 27 Pebi\ The premises were granted to Prances 
Bacon, Esq., for 40 years, under the rent of 751bs, 13 4, and 
under these exceptions and coven'ts, except the advouson of the 
Church and ChapeL The Lessee to find two fit and discreet 
Chaplains, and two Deacons* to celebrate Divine service, and 
also to find bread and Wine for the Sacrament, and straw for 
the Churches, and Bopes and Bells," which lease was to 
commence presently, if no former Lease were theretofore made 
thereof, if yea then from the determination thereof. 

"Prances Morrice and Prances Phillips purchased the 
premises of King James for the use of divers contracts in fee 
farm amongst divers other impropriations. 

" The premises came to the hands of Sir Baptist Hicks. King 
James graunted the same unto the said Sir Baptist and his heirs 
in fee simple upon his surrender of the fee farm thereof into his 
Majesty's hands, together with the parsonage of Cambden, 
excepting the advousons of Churches and Chapels. 



THE RECTORY. 191 

" About the year of our Lord, 1609, 1 showed Dr. Parry, the 
Bishop of Gloucester, the true Copy of the Lease granted to 
Mr. Bacon, afterwards Lord Chancellor, and desired his aid for 
the settling of preaching Ministers in the said Churches, and for 
the allowance of sufficient Stipends (which I was informed was 
in his Lordship's power), for their maintenance, who shortly 
afterwards preached at Cheltenham, and dealt with Mrs. Badger 
(the mother of both of the Higges menconed in your Deede,) 
about the encreasing the Minister's stipends, and that learned 
Preachers might be provided, for the said Churches. But 
finding her obstinate, the Parishioners peticoned the Erie of 
Salisbury and Sir Juliu3 Csesar, Chancellor of the Exchequer 
(who have alwayes commission to deale for the King's Lands 
and revenues and all things thereunto appertayning), to take 
some speedy course for reformation of the said abuses, and the 
said Lord Bishop delivered the peticon with his own hands. 
Whereupon my Lord Tre'r directed his L're to the said Mrs. 
Higges, the farmer of the premises, as it folio weth, viz. : — 

" { After my hearty comendacons, having receaved from my 

* good Lord, the Lord Bp. of Gloucester, a complt. against you 

* in the name of the Parishioners of Cheltenham and Charleton, 

* that whereas by a Covenant contained in your lease of the 
c ympropriat Eectory, there, you are bound to maynteyn at your 
*own costs and charges, two discreet Chaplains, and two 

* Deacons, for the service of God and instructing His people in 
'the sd. Churches, you have, notwithstanding, raaynteyned 

* only two reading Ministers there with the only allowance of 

* 121b a year to the scandall of the Church of God, and the 
c defrauding of his Majesty's subjects of the Spiritual food of 
c their souls. Although I might call you to strict account for 
? the same by processe to answer the breach of your Coven't, I 
c have, notwithstanding, thought good for this time to let you 
c know by this my letter what complaint is made against you, 

* and do require you either to reforme the abuse forthwith by 
< allowing two sufficient Preachers comp'tent stipends, with the 
c speedy knowledge of the Lord Bp. there, or else to make your 
c speedy repaire unto me to the Court, to shew what reason you 

* have to continue such an abuse, which, if it be true, as is 
c informed, I think myself bound in duty to his Majesty and in 
c conscience towards God, speedily to reforme. And so be, I 



192 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

c committ you to God, expecting to receive an answer how you 
c mean to proceed therein. 

" * Your loving Friend, 

" * R. Salisbury.' 
"'From the Court, 10 April, 1610/ 

"Mrs. Badger's Nephewe, Mr. Thomas Stephens, then 
Prince Henry, his Attorney-Generall, did labor the Bishop of 
Glour. being one of the sd. Prince's Chaplaines to be favourable 
to his Aunt in the matter albeit his Lordship was resolved to 
allow sufficient stipends to the Ministers. But before any 
thing was effected the Lord Treasurer died, and the sd. Lord 
Bisp. was removed to Worcester. And notwithstanding that Mr 
Stephens had promised the Lord Bp. that his Aunt Badger 
should willingly allowe 201bs a yere to the Ministers, after many 
delays, he answered plainly that he could not procure her to give 
the sd. Ministers any increase of their stipends. 

"About the yere 1620, the inhabitants did peticion the Lord 
Chancellor Bacon, to whom Queen Elizabeth granted her said 
Parsonage for XL yeres, that his Lordship would compel his 
Assignee to perform the sd. Covts. and to allow good stipends, 
seeing the said Parsonage was worth 6001b per annum. His 
Lordship answered that she might as well so doo, because he had 
but 1000 marks for the whole term of 40 yeres, and thereupon, 
wrote her a letter to the effect following, viz. : — 

* { The Copy of my Ld. Chancellor's Letter to Mrs. Badger. 

" c After my hearty comendacons. Whereas you are tyed by 
Covent. with me to find 2 fit and discreet Chaplains, and 2 
Deacons, Bread and Wyne and other necessaries for the 
Churches and Parishioners of Cheltenham and Charleton, and to 
perform all other things which on my part are to be done by virtue 
of the Lease granted unto me by Queen Eliz., I am informed by 
the Peticon of the inhabitants of the sd. Parishes, that you 
have notwithstanding, defrauded them, not only of the 2 
Deacons, Bread and Wyne, other necessaries that you ought by 
the Covent. to provide at your owme charge, but also have 
deprived them of the spiritual food of their souls, allowing 
yerely unto two Curates X lbs a year. Although you have 
given me cause to call you to accompt, for breach of your Covent. 
by a legal proceeding, yet have I thought good at this time to 



THE RECTORY. 193 

admonish you thereof, and to require you presently to reform 
the said abuses, by allowing unto 2 such discreet Chaplains as 
shall be no'iated by his Majestie or his Highness assigns 401b 
yearly unto either of them, and duely to perform covenant of 
the said Lease, so as there be no further cause of complaint in 
that behalf against you. So expecting your conformity herein, 
without delay, I bid you farewell. 

" ' From Yorke House, the 19 Nw, 1620 

" ' Your loving friend, " ' Pra. Yerulam.' 

— (Lord Bacon). 

" The Lord Chancellor was removed out of his office at the 
Parliament, before Mrs. Badger had returned any answer 
to the sd. Letter. The Parishioners then exhibited a Petition 
to the King, praying his Majesty by his leave to command 
Thos. and John Higges, the present farmers to performe the 
said Covenants, and to allow unto such Chaplains and Deacons 
as his Majestie and his assigns should nominate such competent 
stipends as should be thought fit by his Highness. Thereupon 
the said farmers and Parishioners submitted themselves to the 
award of Mr. Endimion Porter, and Mr. John Parker, who 
ordered the said farmers to to pay 301b per annum to the 
Ministers, and yet upon relacon of their Debts, the sd. arbi- 
trators abated :201b per annum for 5 years, and then Mr. Jno. 
Parker abated 51b more for the sd. 5 years, in the consideration 
that the sd. farmers did voluntary agree to the order recited in 
your Deed, which 51b per annum the Parishioners did supply at 
his request, as far as I now remember. 

" Then we caused the sd. covenants to be decreed in the 
Chancery ; and because we could not procure Mr. Walker, our 
Minister of Charlton, to leave that place upon the increase of 
the stipends by virtue of the Covenant as he had faithfully 
promised, and for that neither of the Ministers was Master of 
Arts, and for that cause not capable of the increase of the 
stipends by virtue of the Covenant the Lord Keeper upon 
the Parishioners Petition did decree 201bs of the sd. allowance 
to Mr. Pantow, then Minister of Cheltenham, and the rest to 
Mr. Brooke and Dr. English, who was placed in Mr. Panton's 
roome at Cheltenham, as by the decree and order of both, which 
I send you the true copies verbatim, may appear. Afterwards 



194 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the President of Trinity College, bestowing a preferment upon> 
Mr. Brooke, he acquainted his Parishioners that he intended to 
leave that place, I would to God that others would do the like, 
that we might procure learned divines to succeed them. Then 
Mr. Murrell, our now Minister, without our privities, got the 
place as he saith, from the Lord Keeper and the Lord Cambden, 
where he hath continued ever since to our good lyking, but now 
having gotten other preferment he doth not imitate Mr. Brooke 
in leaving this. 

" I will trouble you no more at this tyme. If upon consider- 
aeon hereof anything shall be wanting, I will be ready upon 
notice to inform you better for either the originall or true copies 
of every thinge that hath been done concerning the business are 
in my custody. This only I request, that as you have shewed me 
the Deed passed from my Lord Cambden to you, so that you 
will vouchsafe to be pleased to send me the copy thereof, that I 
may enter it in my book wherein I have registered ail the 
passages of this business to the intent that posterity may here- 
after know how to inform you of any thinge that shall be here 
done contrary to the intent of our ho. and pious Benefactor. 
And so not doubting of your readiness to yield to this my 
reasonable peticon, I humbly take my leave. 

" Yor. Worships in all service to be commanded, 

"J. STUBBES. 

" Charleton Kinges, June 25, 1638." 

Both in a local and national point of view, these documents 
reveal facts of the deepest interest. The correspondents were 
of no ordinary character, including the immortal Bacon. 

" Mr. Thomas Stephens," Attorney-General to Prince Henry,, 
eldest son of King James L, was of the family of that name, 
situated at Lypiatt, Eastington, &c, in Gloucestershire, who 
mainly supported the Parliamentary interest in that county 
during the Civil War. 

The arrangement as to the Stipends, settled by Mr. John 
Parker on behalf of the inhabitants, and Mr. Endinson Porter, 
on behalf of the Higges, farmers, of the impropriate Rectory, 
at £40 for Cheltenham, and £i0 for Chariton, was effected by 
Deed of Covenant, 17 Eeb. 19 Jac. 1, confirmed by Decree in 
Chancery, 30 June, 22 Jac 1, in Lord Keeper Williams time,, 
and still subsists. 



THE RECTORY. 195 

The great philosopher and statesman, Bacon, when taking his 
40 years' lease of the living of Queen Elizabeth at the rate of 
£75 annually, had certain conditions to fulfil. He had to rind 
"two fit and discreet Chaplains" for the churches at Cheltenham 
and Charlton, besides "two Deacons," and also "bread and 
wine for the sacraments, and straw for the churches, and ropes 
for the bells." The living was, however, sublet by Lord Bacon 
to Mrs. Higgs, of Charlton, who " farmed" the estate, and paid 
only Ten Pounds annually to "two reading Ministers." The 
inhabitants very properly asked the aid of the Bishop of the 
Diocese in the matter, and more especially as at that time the 
female Impropriator was realizing £600 annually out of the 
estate. The Bishop came and preached at the Parish Church 
and remonstrated with Mrs. Higgs, but to no effect. The next 
step was a petition to the Earl of Salisbury, and Sir Julius 
Csesar, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, "to take speedy 
course for the reformation of the said abuse." The Earl of 
Salisbury, in his letter to Mrs. Higgs, points out that ^10 a 
year salary for two Ministers is a " scandall to the Church of 
God, and the defrauding of his Majesty's subjects of the 
food of their souls." Not succeeding up to this time, the Spiritual 
parishioners appeal direct to the great Bacon. His reply, as 
will be seen on reference to his letter, is characteristic of the 
man. He reminds the Impropriator that he could call to his 
aid the strong arm of the law, but that he prefers an appeal to 
conscience. It appears that the curacy w-as no source of profit 
to the statesman, for that he had been paid " but 1000 marks 
for the whole term of 40 years." As time rolled on, little or no 
increase was effected in the Ministers' stipend, and even to this 
day, the Incumbent of the " Queen of Watering Places" is 
" passing rich with forty pounds a year," from the ancient 
endowment we have been detailing. 

The original grant in Latin from Elizabeth to Lord Bacon is 
recorded in Dixon's History of that Statesman, and upon the 
transaction the author observes that, — " In 1598, Francis Bacon 
promoted a Bill to prevent the enclosure of land, and restore 
enclosed lands to tillage — and at length the measure passed, 
chiefly owing to Lord Bacon. Only two weeks after signing 
her name to his Bill for replacing the yeomen on the soil from 
which they have been driven, Elizabeth sets her hand to a grant 



196 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of a third estate to Bacon. This act of her princely grace 
confers on Bacon the Eectory and Church of Cheltenham, 
together with the Chapel at Charlton Kings, in the lovely valley 
nestling under the Cleeve and Leckhampton Hills ; a valley not 
yet famed for those mineral springs, those shady walks, those 
pretty spas, and gardens, which, in the days of Victoria, have 
transformed Lansdown and Pittville into suburbs of delight ; 
yet rich in the voluptuous charms of nature, and blest with a 
prodigal fertility, of corn and fruit, of kine and sheep." — (Dixon's 
Personal History of Lord Bacon.) 

Cheltenham was not the only place that suffered by the 
deprivation of spiritual instruction. Many of the adjacent 
parishes, which were lay Impropriations, had to depend entirely 
upon the feeling of the proprietor in the matter. In some cases 
Divine service was occasionally performed, and, in others, not at 
all. The adjacent parish of Withington offers a striking and 
melancholy illustration of the state of ecclesiastical affairs 
locally, in the sixteenth century. The inhabitants presented to 
Queen Elizabeth a petition praying that the Eector, the Eev, J. 
Knowles, might be removed from his office, " because he had 
neither preached himself in the Parish Church nor employed 
another, for seven years !" 

The Cheltenham Eectory passed into the Hicks family, whose 
descendants have ever since been connected with the town either 
by residence or by the holding of judicial offices. 

The impropriation was granted to Sir Baptist Hicks, on con- 
dition that he should allow a yearly stipend of £40 to the officiating 
minister. SirBaptist delegated the power of electing therninister 
to the Principal and Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford. The 
following extract from the deed of investment will show the 
restrictions imposed by Sir Baptist on the power of the electors : 
— cc The parties recommended by the College, must be sufficient 
preaching ministers, masters of arts of two years standing, at 
least, and unmarried persons. The College, upon any avoidance 
of either of the said churches, to present to the heire of the 
Lord Campden three of the fellowes, and he to nominate and 
elect who he pleaseth. If after such presentment made, the 
heire shall not, within six weeks, elect out of the persons so 
presented, the nomination for that turne, shall be in the College ; 
and on the other side, if the College present not within two 



THE RECTORY. 197 

months, the lieire shall name for that turne. None to be elected 
by the College, or presented by the heire, but fellows of the 
College, and they to continue but six years at most ; unless by 
a new presentment or election. The said ministers to preach 
once every Sabbath, not to be absente both together, to have no 
other benefice, and to remain unmarried." Thus it will be seen 
that Sir Baptist Hicks gave the power of nominating the 
minister to Jesus College, Oxford, subject to the restriction 
that the elected were to be M.A.'s of two years standing, to 
hold no other benefice, and to remain unmarried. This last item 
was fully carried out, and the register book in the vestry records 
the names of twenty-three Welsh Bachelors who have held the 
living from the time of Sir Baptist down to the Eev. E. Eoulkes, 
in 1799. Erom this manuscript we are enabled to publish the — 

Names op the Incumbents of the Paeish Church op 
Cheltenham from the Eestoration of Charles II. 

1662 — Rev. R. Bowen, 
1663—" Henry Maurice. 
1671 — '* Henrv -Lloyd. 
1673— "Ralph Weld. 
1688 — " Kenrick Palestone. 
1692—" Luke Williams. 
1709 — "Henry Mease. 
1716 — " Humphrey Lloyd. 

" Thos. Ray. 

" H umphrey Maurice. 
1724 — « Thos. Edwards, 
17^9 — "Geo. Stokes. 



1' 


731— Rev 


Edmund Meyrick. 


17-11-' 


'Th 


os. Morgan. 


1' 


754—' 


'Jo 


nes Reid. 


1767—' 


' John Lloyd. 


1778—' 


' Hu<rh Hughes. 


1789— ! 


r ir. 


Llewellyn. 


1793—' 


e w 


. Rowlands. 


1 


?94-« 


'H. 


Mesh am. 


1 


799— 


'H 


mry Foulkes. 



1S16 — "Charies Jervis. 
1826— "Francis Close. 
1857— "Edward Walker (the 
present Incumbent.) 



The impropriation was vested in the Hicks family for upwards 
of a century, when it passed successively to the Earl of Essex 
and John I)e la Bere, Esq. ; and J. Pitt, Esq., M.P. At the 
period Mr. Pitt held the living the Parish Church was the only 
place of worship connected with the Established Church, in the 
town. He was entitled to all fees and tithes. Mr. Pitt, by a 
legislative enactment, effected a material alteration in the value 
of the living. A large portion of the ground on which some of 
the most valuable property of the town is now built was once 
commonable or waste land. This he obtained possession of, 
and all the lands became tithe-free, and allotments in lieu of 
tithes, were made to the lay impropriator, on one of which 
allotments the stipend of £40 a-year to the curate, was, by 



198 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



virtue of a clause in the Act, charged. In consequence of this 
act, many uf the most valuable houses in this town are totally 
exempt from the payment of Church or Burial-ground rates, 
from the circumstance of their having been erected on the 
ground thus enclosed. 

The act which Mr. Pitt obtained for enclosing the commonable 
land in the place, has produced effects which were never con- 
templated. It was passed 41 George III. (1801), entitled " An 
Act for Dividing, Alloting, and Inclosing the open Fields, 
Meadows, Pastures and other Commonable and W aste Lands 
within the Ty thing or Hamlet of Cheltenham, in the County of 
Gloucester." The most valuable property in the place has since 
been erected on the ground thus enclosed, and the following 
extract from a report presented at a vestry meeting in 1843, and 
compiled by a committee of enquiry appointed by the ratepayers, 
will explain the situation, and amount of assessment of the 
houses which now stand on this glebe land : — 



ISO. 

Bousi 



9 

7 

15 

5 

6 

32 

72 

39 

26 

71 

26 

2,5 

32 

IS 

6 

32 

24 

22 

12 
24 

2 



Where situate. 



Hewlett-btreet 

Kingston-place 

Pittville- villas 

Prestbury-road 

Segrave-place 

Pittville-lawft, &c 

Pittville . 

Clarence-square, &c 

Northfieid-terrace , 

Brunswick and Hanover-streets . 

Hanover-street, &c 

Hungerford-street, &c 

Victoria-street and square 

Berkeley-place and street 

High-street 

Oambray 

Bath-road and street 

Bath-street and part of Cam bray. 

Kssex-piace 

Crescent and Crescent-]; lace 

Bottom of North- place 



SUMMARY. 



Amount 
of Assess- 
ment. 



£298 

76 

737 

168 

373 

2941 

4788 

2057 
371 
59! 
217 
203 
252 

1248 
626 

1817 
793 
653 
285 

1425 
83 



House situate on glebe land 505 

Their Assessments £20,042 



THE RECTORY. 199 

In five years after the enclosure took place, Mr. Pitt obtained 
an Act which enabled him to exchange with Jesus College, the 
living of Bagendon, in this county, then his property, for their 
right of electing the Cheltenham minister. In the Diocesan 
Registrar Office this Act may be seen, and it reveals much that 
is very interestingly connected with the past history of the 
curacy. It is signed by the Rev. H. Foulkes, a former 
incumbent, and Joseph Pitt, Esq. ; the former states in the 
schedule, that he could make no return of the actual value of 
his income beyond the fixed yearly stipend of £4*0 ; the latter 
declares the living of Bagendon to be worth yearly £200. 

The Act is dated June 22, 1816, and in the preamble it is 
called an Act " for effectuating an exchange of the advowson of 
the church of the parish of Bagendon, in the county of 
Gloucester, belonging to Joseph Pitt, Esq., for a right which the 
principal, fellows, and scholars of Jesus College, within the City 
and University of Oxford, of the foundation of Queen Elizabeth, 
have, in the nomination of a curate to the curacy of the 
Impropriate Rectory of Cheltenham, in the said county, also 
belonging to the said Joseph Pitt." 

The Act next proceeds to relate, with much precision, the 
legal settlement of the affairs of the living by the Hicks family, 
in the time of Charles the I., in the following words : — " By 
an agreement in writing, bearing date the twenty-fourth day of 
March, in the fourth year of the reign of his late Majesty King 
Charles L, made between the then Lord Viscount Campden, of 
the first part ; Godfrey, then Lord Bishop of Gloucester, of the 
second part; and Sir Ewble Thelwall, Knt., one of the Masters 
of his Majesty's High Court of Chancery, Principal, and the 
Pellows and Scholars of Jesus College, within the City and 
University of Oxford, of the foundation of Queen Elizabeth, of 
the third part ; that the said Lord Viscount Campden did, for 
himself and his heirs, give and grant unto the said Ewble 
Thelwall, Principal, and the Fellows and Scholars of Jesus 
College, aforesaid, and their suncessors for ever, the sum of £40 
a year, to be issuing out of (and the same was thereby charged 
upon) all that the said Rectory of Cheltenham, with the rights, 
.members and appurtenences thereof, in trust for the maintenance 
of the Minister of Cheltenham aforesaid, together with the right 
,of nomination of such Minister, in the manner therein mentioned. " 



200 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The transfer of the living to Mr. Pitt, follows, with a state- 
ment of the legal claim he has upon the pecuniary proceeds of 
the same. The former privileges of Jesus College are declared 
to be null and void, so far as the Cheltenham curacy is 
concerned. "That from and immediately after the passing of 
this Act, all that the advowson and right of patronage and 
presentation of, in and to the said Eectory and Parish Church 
of Bagendon, in the said County and Diocese of Gloucester, 
shall be vested in and settled upon, and the same is hereby from 
thenceforth vested in and settled upon the said Principal, 
Pellows, and Scholars of Jesus College, in the University of 
Oxford, and their successors, for ever, in lieu of and exchange 
for their said right in the nomination of a Curate to the Curacy 
of Cheltenham aforesaid,, and of all other their right of patronage 
and presentation or nomination of, in and to the same Curacy 
hereinafter expressed, tg be vested in and settled upon the said 
Joseph Pitt, and his heirs and assigns for ever.' 5 

The body of the Act concludes with an explicit statement that 
Mr. Pitt and his heirs are ever after to have the sole power of 
nominating a minister to the living, and to pay him annually £40. 
" That all that the said Curacy shall, from and immediately 
after the passing of this act, be vested in and settled upon, and 
the same was and is hereby from thenceforth vested in and 
settled upon the said Joseph Pitt and his heirs and assigns for 
ever, to the use of him, the said Joseph Pitt, and his heirs and 
assigns for ever, freed and for ever discharged from the said 
right of thpxi the said Principal, Pellows, and Scholars, to 
nominate a , Curate to the said Curacy aforesaid, and all other 
their right and patronage of, in and to the said Curate, and of 
and frqimthe said yearly sum of forty-pounds ; to the end and 
intent that lie, the said Joseph Pitt, his heirs and assigns, might 
at all times hereafter fill the said Curacy with such proper person 
or persons as he, or they shall think proper, without being in 
any manner subject to the restrictions in the said agreement 
contained, or any of them, in. lieu of and in exchange for the 
said advowson, and right of patronage and presentation of, in 
and to the said Eectory and Parish Church of Bagendon., 

Directly after the passing of this Act, the Eev. J., Simeon (a 
sketch of whose life was published in a funeral sermon preached 
by the Eev. P. Close,) with five others purchased the right held 



THE KECTORY. 201 

by Mr. Pitt, of electing the minister, for £3000, and invested 
the powers in the hands of six trustees, who presented the living, 
which is now styled " a perpetual curacy in the Deanery of 
Winchcomb," to the Rev. C. Jervis, and after his lamented 
decease, to the Rev. Close, P. A.M., and upon his elevation to the 
Deanery of Carlisle, to the Rev. Edward Walker, M.A., the present 
respected Incumbent. Thus, step by step, have legal enactments 
effected changes in the right of presentation to the Cheltenham 
Incumbency of a remarkable character. The very laudable 
movement set on foot, and mainly supported by the wealth and 
influence of the Rev. J . Simeon, half a century since, to buy up 
" next presentations" and place men of known Evangelical 
sentiments in the vacant livings, have been highly beneficial to 
this town. The most valuable part of this clerical estate had 
now passed into different hands. Two vestiges of the ancient 
Impropriation yet remained undisposed of — the burial ground, 
which immediately surrounds the Church, and the Chancel with 
its ground rents and income from the pews and sittings. The 
parishioners in Vestry assembled in 1808, purchased, for £100, 
Mr. Pitt's interest in the graveyard (as it stood before the 
modern part was added by Chester Walk). A rate was levied 
upon the inhabitants to meet the amount, and, consequently, it 
will, to all future generations, remain the property of the parish, 
and has since then been recognised as such by the Paving 
Commissioners, who have repaired the roads leading through it. 
Por nearly 40 years after this desirable purchase was effected, 
nothing was heard of the residue of the " lay Impropriation. " 
The matter was again revived by the following announcement, 
which appeared in ail the local newspapers during the month of 
October, 1845: — "To be peremptorily sold, pursuant to a 
decree in the High Court of Chancery made in a cause Pitt 
versus Pitt, with the approbation of James William Parrer, 
Esquire, one of the Masters of the said Court at the Plough 
Hotel, in Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, on Monday 
and Tuesday, the 30th and 31st Days of October, 1843, at One 
o'clock in the Afternoon, on each day in Thirty-two Lots, a 
portion of the Estates, late of Joseph Pitt, Esq,, Deceased, 
together with the Impropriate Rectory of Cheltenham, w r ith the 
Pews and Sittings in the Chancel of the Church of the said Parish, 
and Six Perpetual annual Sums or Rent charges of OnePoundeach." 



302 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The purchasers were Messrs. Newman and G winnett, solicitors, 
and in them the lay Impropriation was vested for eighteen 
years. Thus a singular anomaly presented itself to the public — 
the body of the Parish Church belonging to the inhabitants, and 
the Chancel, where the sacred ordinances of the Communion and 
Baptism are celebrated, in the hands of private individuals ! It 
is, however, our pleasure to record that this complication of 
circumstances has now ceased to exist. In May, 1861, the 
Chancel, with all the rights and privileges of the Impropriate 
Kectory, was purchased for the use of the parish, and henceforth, 
and for ever, it ceases to be private property. Thus, after 
having been a lay Impropriation since the days of the 
Pteformation (upwards of three hundred years), it now becomes 
public property, and we recognize, henceforth, a properly 
constituted " Rectory." This vestige of an ancient living 
having thus finally changed hand?, unites the past with the present, 
and supplies the last link in the chain of the history of the 
Impropriate Rectory of Cheltenham. 

In reviewing the historical evidences which we have adduced 
respecting the Eectory, it must be evident that since the 
establishment of Protestantism, the maintenance of a resident 
Incumbent has ever been placed upon a most precarious footing. 
Valuable property, which might have formed a good endowment, 
has ever been in the hands of private individuals, whilst the 
congregation of an increasing town has had to struggle with 
pecuniary difiiculties ; greater, perhaps, than have been experi- 
enced in any poor agricultural village ! And had Cheltenham 
ever remained in obscurity, the same state of things might have 
continued; for, all that the law now gives is no more than in 
former times. The maintenance of our Incumbency does not 
arise from any fixed support. It arises from the fact that the 
office has been filled latterly by earnest, faithful, and hard- 
working Evangelical clergymen, who have received their emolu- 
ments from the best of all sources — the voluntary contributions 
of the congregations they have benefited, and who can bear 
the best testimony to services rendered. This non-endowment 
of the living has arisen from the circumstance of its rightful 
property having been bought and sold, and made the subject of 
worldly traffic. We regret to add that we have discovered 
similar instances of injury done to the cause of religion by the 



THE EECTOKY. 203 

same means, in our historical researches in this county. The 
ill-effects of the system of lay Impropriation may be strikingly 
illustrated by referring to the Report of the Gloucestershire 
Diocesan Association, issued in February, 1881. From that 
document it will be seen that in the county there are 58 livings, 
the incomes of which are under £100 per annum; 82 benefices 
where there is no residence for the clergyman ; and 63 parishes 
with no suitable School-room. — " The great injury this rectory 
has suffered in its revenues, proves the impropriety of fixed 
payments in lieu of tythes, under acts of inclosure. Supposing 
the yardland on an average to be 20 acres, it is clear that at 
this period of improved rents, four yardlands would have been 
worth at least the whole annual sum allotted, without the 
tythes. 55 — (Rudge, 1803.) 

"The Eectory is worth £600 per annum; yet the stipend to 
the officiating minister is not to more than £40, besides 
surplice fees. Impropriations are such livings as at the 
dissolution of monasteries were disposed of to the best bidders, 
or the greatest favourites, and so became lay property. Of 
about 10,000 churches and chapels now in England, 3835, 
upwards of one third, are Impropriations. 55 — Cheltenham Guide y 
1786. 

But not only the Incumbent but the poor of the parish were 
sufferers by the change. The Manor records, from the earliest 
date, shows that the inhabitants had the right, which was 
protected by manorial legislation, of the herbage of all the 
commonable lands " in Cheltenham fields 55 for the rearing of 
"Cows, Swine, and Geese. 55 

" The crime is great in man or woman 
Who steals a <:oose from off the common ; 
But who can plead that man's excuse 
Who steals the common from the goose." 

" Previous to the late inclosure, the arable lands within the 
parish did not exceed 1900 acres; the pasture, 1500 acres.' 5 — 
(Ruff.) The number of acres which now form the parochial 
area is 4200. Thus we see that 800 acres of commonable land 
have passed into private hands. From time immemorial, this 
was the property of the inhabitants, and as at this period, the 
place was little better than an agricultural village, it doubtless 



HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

afforded the means of subsistence to the poor, and prevented 
their becoming chargeable to the parish. This is evident from 
the small amount which was paid for Poor-rates, prior to the 
In closure Act. The local poor were then contained in a House, 
the rental of which cost £5 per annum, and the Poor-rate, which 
was then a rate raised for many purposes besides poor relief, was 
under £200 per annum. The Poor's-rate now averages £20,000, 
and the cost of poor relief, in the town alone, is £16,000 
annually. According to Parliamentary returns, within the 
past century, nine millions of acres have been taken from the 
poor by Inclosure Acts. 

The first attempt at enclosure of consequence, was made in 
the reign of Queen Anne ; from that period down to the present 
these unjust acts have been rapidly increasing. From the 
commencement of Anne's reign to the termination of the reign 
of George II. , there were 234 enclosure acts passed, which took 
from the poor 339,377 acres. During the reign of George III,, 
there were more than four times the number passed, although 
the amount of land was not so much in proportion, yet the loss 
must have been equally as much felt. From the accession to 
the death of George III., there were 1521 enclosure acts 
passed, which took in 294,400 acres. — (Goding's History, 
Leigh). 

The small amount which, in former times, was paid to the 
Incumbent, is further illustrated by a custom which was formerly 
prevalent. This was the presentation of a 'New Hat annually 
to the holder of the living, and if his stipend was only ten 
pounds a year it was, certainly, a most desirable gift. The poet 
Shenstone (whose visit to the town will be found recorded in 
another chapter) was present at the presentation of a hat to the 
poor incumbent in 1762. He describes the sermon in the 
morning, the giving of the hat afterwards in accordance to an 
ancient custom, and adds : — " The hat, it is true, is not quite as 
valuable as a Cardinal's, but while it is made a retribution for excel- 
lence in so, if properly considered, it is an object for a preacher in 
any degree. I am sorry, at the same time, to say that, as a common 
hat, merely for its uses, it would be an object to too many 
country curates, whose situations and slender incomes too often 
excite our blushes as well as our compassion. 53 — (Hull's Select 
Letters.) 



THE RECTORY. 205 

In order to place the living of Cheltenham on a more 
permanent footing, a subscription was set on foot to purchase 
a Parsonage House, to be the residence of the Incumbent for 
the time being. This appeal was cordially responded to, and 
all the legal deeds of conveyance were presented by the solicitor 
to the parishioners, at the Annual Easter Vestry Meeting, in 
1861 : — "Mr. Gwinnett, as one of the members, and on behalf 
of the committee of Inhabitants, who promoted the purchase of 
a Parsonage House to be permanently attached to the Parish 
Church of St. Mary, Cheltenham, for the residence of the 
Incumbent for the time being, stated to the Vestry that that 
object had been accomplished, and that the dwelling-house, No. 
8, in the Royal Crescent, had been fully conveyed accordingly to, 
and was now vested in, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. And 
that a sum of £114 Is. 9d., being the balance of the monies 
subscribed for the purpose, after paying all expenses, had been 
invested iu the purchase of the sum of one hundred and twenty 
three pounds sixteen shillings and tenpence, Three Pounds per 
Cent. Consols, in the names of trustees upon trust, to apply the 
income thereof, exclusively for the purpose of the external repairs 
of the Parsonage House. And Mr. Gwinnett tendered to the 
Vestry the Deed declaring the trusts of the above fund, and 
other documents relating to the purchase of the property and 
of the fixtures therein, which were ordered to be deposited for 
preservation in the parish chest. " — (Cheltenham Examiner.) 

The £40 per annum, as before detailed, is the only endowment 
for the support of the Eectory in the present day. The 
Incumbent is entitled to fees for burial in the morning, for the 
erection of monuments, for marriages and baptism, and for 
Easter Offerings. This latter item has been for some years past 
the principal source of income, and, being of a voluntary 
character, is necessarily fluctuating. In the last parliamentary 
return, the living is entered as worth £700 per annum. 

There are several parochial as well as spiritual privileges 
which custom has given to the Incumbent. The election of 
his own Churchwarden on Easter Tuesday ; the parishioners also 
electing one for themselves, and on several occasions the minister 
has waived his right and the parish have elected both officers. 
The right to choose, nominate, and appoint his parish Clerk and 
Sexton was admitted at Vestry Meetings held in 1754. 



206 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The present Incumbent, the Eev. E. Walker, M.A., was 
formerly connected with Salford and Manchester. The Manchester 
Advertiser, in noticing his removal in 1857, observes : — 
"We have to announce that the Eev. E. Walker, M.A.., at 
present the Incumbent of St. Matthias Church, Broughton-road, 
has been offered and has accepted the Incumbency of Cheltenham, 
vacant by the appointment of the Kev. F. Close, to the Deanery 
of Carlisle. We are glad that, in a more extended and useful 
sphere, Mr. Walker will have an opportunity of displaying 
those admirable qualities as a gentleman and a Christian minister,; 
which, it is but simple truth to say, have won for him the most 
cordial esteem and regard, wherever lie has been known ia 
Manchester. We congratulate the inhabitants of Cheltenham 
on Mr. Walker's acceptance of the Incumbency, and when they. 
come to know him, as we know him in Manchester, they will 
congratulate themselves upon possessing such a head of tha 
clerical body in their town. 55 

The Patrons of the Cheltenham Incumbency are the Trustees- 
under the Simeon purchase : — The Eev. Dr. Marsh, the Eev. W. 
Cams, the Eev. John Yenn, the Eev. Edward Holland, and the 
Eev. Edward Auriol. 

The Ghubch Documents. — In the Parish Church Yestiy 
are preserved many documents of the deepest interest connected 
with the ancient history of Cheltenham, and which also corro- 
borate many important historical events of a national character. 
In the iron chest, in' the vestry of our Parish Church, is a 
parchment book of about a foot square, containing a list of the 
marriages, deaths, and christenings, from the reign, of Queen 
Elizabeth to the reign of William and Mary. The year is, 
generally placed on the top of the page, and so few were there 
to record that, not unfrequently, the marriages, deaths, and 
christenings, for three years, are contained in one page. In 
some years, in the reign of Charles II. and James II.. in particular^ 
there are not above three weddings, six deaths, and one christen- 
ing recorded. The same book also contains all the Welch 
Bachelors who have held the Cheltenham living since the clays of 
Charles II., and the list lias been continued by succeeding. 
churchwardens down to the election of the present Incumbent. 
The greater portion of the more ancient of our local records are 
preserved in Richest of very great antiquity, and which is alluded 



& 



THE CHURCH DOCUMENTS. 207 

to incidentally in records belonging to the Elizabethan era. It 
is about ten feet in length and three feet in width, secured with 
three locks, and surrounded by a massive iron bar. It appears 
to have been hewn out of a single oak tree, and is of so durable 
a character that centuries will probably yet elapse ere the work 
of decay will commence. On the 4th of October, 1843, this 
old relic was removed from its hiding place, beneath an elevated 
pew, where it had been suffered, for many a year, to lie 
unobserved and almost forgotten, in the presence of the Church- 
wardens and the Committee of Enquiry into our local charities. 
On being opened, the following inscription appeared on the 
massive lid in gold letters : — " Kepaired'by Walter Cox and John 
Humphris, churchwardens, A. D., 1745." The chest was entirely 
filled with documents, principally written on parchment; among 
the number may be enumerated the following : — Indentures of 
parish apprentices, commencing with the reign of James L, 
indentures of apprentices, of about the same date, belonging to 
the charities especially bequeathed for binding out apprentices 
belonging to parents who resided in the town ; copies of wills of 
persons who have left charitable bequests to the parish ; leases of 
grounds belonging to the local charities, commencing with the 
year 1693 ; the various records of the census of the population 
of this district, some of them being arranged on a single sheet of 
foolscap writing paper ; a numerous collection of old poor-rate 
books, some of them not larger than a penny memorandum book 
of the present day, and yet containing all the poor-rates then 
collected, with the names of the payers, and all the necessary 
particulars ; a curious old vestry book, of folio size (and although 
the covers have, apparently, been a long time lost from it, in very 
good preservation,) the entries commencing October 17, 1637, 
the 11 th year of the reign of Charles I., and ending May 17, 1724, 
the tenth year of the reign of George I. From the writing, we 
are of opinion that the recorder was the minister for the time 
being, for, in many instances, the signature of the minister 
attached is precisely the same as the minutes recorded. The 
book is taken up principally with accounts of the annual election 
of Churchwardens, and the property then contained in the 
church, which was given on trust to the newly elected officers. 
These lists of the property, year after year, are carefully arranged 
in parrallel lines, like the catalogue of a modern auctioneer. "We 



208 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

here transcribe from this curious book a verbatim copy of one of 
the oldest of these lists, in the precise form in which it is entered, 
without any alteration of the orthography : — 

In ye to are op our Lord God 1638. 

Upon Monday in ye Estor weoke was chosen for Churchwardens for ye 
yoare following : videe, John Parker, Henry Mai or, Pingard Mederith, 
John Agmoad. And unto those Churchwardens was guiven an account of 
ye Church goods Ly the former Churchwardens uppon the 21st clay of Meay 
in the yoare above written before divers of the parishioners ye partikulars 
thereof are as followoth : 

'Communion Cup on Silver Guilt and a cover of Silver guilt. 
Dish of Silver guilt, and holland baggs to put ye plate in. 
Pewter flaggon of two quarts. 
One Goblet Poule. 

One paire of fyne green carpets wrought we niddle worke. i 

Paire of flaxon Sheets. 
Paire of hurdon Sheets. 
Flaxon Table Cloth. 
Two long Towels. 
Crimson Clothe for ye Pulpit. 
One ould Communion Cloth for ye table. 
One wooden cushion for ye Pulpitt. 
An Hour Glass. 
An old druggit. 

2 Surplesses. 2 Leathern Bucketts. 
One groate Bible One horn Lantern. 
Common praior Book. 
Ould sorrows book. 
Booke of Martyrs. 
Booke called Erasmus. 
Booke of souls worked in a duet. 
Books of Gammaliel. 

Two bookes, registers for Christenings and burials. 
Four ould chests and iron bar thereunto. 
Wrighting booke for the Church accompts. 
Other wrighting booke for ye Poor accompts. 
One ladder contayning 21 rounds. 

One Cratch or Cradle, to poynt ye Church Steeple withe. 
One Caple rope, worth about thirtie shillings. 
Five fovrmes, and Communion Table in ye chancel. 
Wooden Stowl in ye Tower. 

One foot mount for ye Pulpitt, given by Ed. Robinson. 
One more faire cushion for Pulpitt of plad white in niddle work. 
One flaggon of about 5 quarts. 
One pewter and dish. 
-Four branch iron candlesticks joynted. 



THE CHURCH DOCUMENTS. 209 

Two boxes to collect money. 

One pair of puilies. 

2 boards with one cover. 

Two wainscot benches in ye vestry and one table cord there. 

One booke of Cannons, and two joynted stools. 

With this catalogue was an entry of Is. 9d., the amount of 
" Church Money" then in the hands of the Churchwardens, 
which, it is recorded, was handed over to the newly-elected 
officers. For full a century and a half after this date, the 
Churchwardens were elected on Easter Monday, and a catalogue 
(very similarly arranged on the vestry book to the above) was 
presented to them. In 1640, it is stated that Kichard Dodwell, 
of Loudon, grocer, left £b for the purchase of the Book of 
Martyrs, which was to be lent out to the inhabitants generally. 
Appended to the parish minutes for the above year, is a copy of 
the will containing the bequest, the following brief extract from 
which, will explain the intentions of the donor : — <c I give and 
bequeath to the parish of Cheltenham five pounds, to buy there- 
with the Book of Martyrs, contained in three volumes, to be put 
in some convenient part of the said parish church, on some little 
furniture, with a fastening to each volume, that the same may 
be freed, and in common for all to read at convenient times 
The said book to be lent out by the Churchwardens and their 
successors to any one poore inhabitant housekeeper of the said 
town." The first entry of the election of Surveyors of the 
Highways at a vestry meeting, is the 21st December, 1675, 
when two were elected for the town, and three for the hamlets. 
*' The days appointed for ye worke to be done/ 5 were Tuesdays 
and Fridays in each week. After this time, the election took 
place annually. The following very curious entry is made of one 
of these meetings: — "December 26, 1721 — Whereas, at a 
Vestry Meeting, hoiden this day, it was found by the inhabitants 
that Thomas Nichols and Richard Ellis, the last year's Surveyors 
for the Highways, had not collected so much as they had 
disbursed by £2 by reason of taking to little money of the 
•substantial inhabitants of the towne. We therefore elect them 
to serve for the said office for this next year, and by the consent 
of this vestry they are not to exceed the expenses of 20 shillings 
for jtte" Following the order of date, the following entries 
occur j — 



210 HISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1697. — cc And ill this yeare now read, all ye Bells in the parish 
church of Cheltenham into 8 bells by Abraham Kudhall, 
bellfounder in Gloucester, and in ye same yeare was all ye 
old money called in and new coyned in the 8 & 9 yeare of 
the reign of William and M ary ; the frame of ye bells were 
likewise altered and new made by Giles Ashmead, of 
Cheltenham, carpenter." 

1713. — "This yeare the Minister and Churchwardens collected 
of several well disposed persons the sum of £14 for the 
buying of a silver flaggon for the use of the communion, 
which same was applied accordingly. — Henry Mease y 
Minister." 

1714. — " This yeare was given to the Minister by a secret hand 
a Damask Table Cloth for the service of the communion." 

1721. — "It was then agreed by the joynt consent of a vestry 
then held, that the fourth seat from the Minister pews, 
which seat hath for many years past been used for churching 
of women, shall be given to Toby Sturmey and his heyrs, 
in consideration that the said Toby Sturmey shall make up 
a seat in the said aisle south of the church, which seat shall 
be in future appropriated for christnings and churching of 
women," 

In the Eegister are some very curious entries by the Minister, 
for the time being, as for example : — 

" A.D. 1698, Eeceived of Thos. Cox, three shillings and four 
pence for a sermon preached on ye parable of ye Sower 
Feb. 23, 1698, according to the last Will and Testament of 
Thos. George who died in ye yeare 1629. I say received 
by me 

Keu Pulegstok, 

Curate." 

According to Thos. George's Will the Sermon might be 
preached on ye Sower in St. Mathew's Gospel, chap. 13-iii. ? 
any time in ye Sowing season." 

According to the Charity Commissioners Eeport, this bequest 
was regularly paid to the Incumbent up to the period the Eev. 
C. Jervis was inducted to the living. 



THE CHURCH DOCUMENTS 211 

The visitation of Earthquakes and Storms is also recorded : — 

1795. — Nov. — "On the 11th of this month, between the hours 
of 11 and 12 at night, a severe Shock of an Earthquake 
was sensibly felt in this place and neighbourhood." 

Cheltenham was again visited bv the shock of an earthquake 
on Nov. 9, 1852, at 4.30, a.m. 

1703. — Nov. 27th. — " Cheltenham visited by a Great Storm of 
Wind, which injured the Parish Church and most of the 
dwelling houses. A terrible tempestuous wind on the 
27th days of November, about ye hours of one to seven in 
ye morning, which did very great damage, both at sea and 
alsoe in land, to the ruined of very many families." 
1731. — June 5. — "The Tow T n visited by a terrific Hail Storm, 
which, for its duration and destructive power, stands 
unparalleled in modern history. This hail storm destroyed 
upwards of £2000 worth of property in Cheltenham, — a 
large amount compared with the small number of houses 
and inhabitants at that period." 
There are entries in the Register of a domestic character 
which deserve notice. The birth of the twentieth child is 
recorded: — " 1790, July 8. Ester, daughter of William 
Eowler and Hannah his w r ife — being her twentieth child i* 
and a marriage by the Eev. J. Close, the father of the 
Dean of Carlisle, when on a visit curing his connection with St. 
John's College, Oxford. There is one entry of great historical 
interest, and the publication of which, by Mr. J. O. Halliweli, 
the well-known commentator of Shakespeare, has tended to 
render the church register an important national document. The 
immortal Shakespeare applied the word "Sir" in the same 
sense as " Eeverend" is now used to designate those who are 
set apart for the Ministry. It was long a debateable point 
whether the immortal bard meant to describe the clerical character 
by the title of " Sir," although it is clear from his contem- 
poraries that, after the Eelbrmation, that epithet was applied, 
and preceded the modern reverend. The church register cleared 
the matter up, for the poor perpetual curates, whose stipends 
were barely sufficient to maintain them, were entered in the list 
of burials as " Sir" — the first entry occurring on August 31st, 
1574, "of Sir John Evans, curate of Cheltenham." 



212 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

CHAPTER XII. 

®i)e ®oton Burtitg tf): ODtbil SStarg. 

DURING the memorable struggle that occurred between the 
adherents of King Charles I., and Oliver Cromwell, the 
town of Cheltenham was most deeply engaged. This arose 
partly from its position as adjoining the road from Stow-on-the- 
Wold, which then passed by Hewletts, and along the back of 
the town. The armies of both parties, in coming across the 
Cotswolds had, therefore, to march through the place on their 
wav to Gloucester, which was in a state of siege. Another 
reason why the borough was the scene of battle was, the fact 
of its manorial possessor being a warm partizan of the Koyalists. 
The Steward of the Manor, John Stubbes, a man of considerable 
legal and literary abilities, was also on the side of Royalty, and 
the reigning monarch did not scruple to ask him for pecuniary 
assistance in the hour of need, as will be apparent from the 
documents which are quoted in this Chapter. 

The Dutton family (with one exception), who were then the 

owners of the Cheltenham Manor, were royalists, and took a 

very active part in all the political movements of the times. 

Eor this they suffered severely, by the loss of their property and 

by imprisonment. Colonel "Dutton was expelled the House of 

Commons for his adherence to the King. Sir Ralph Dutton had 

his estate sequestered, and he was forced to quit the country. 

John Dutton was taken prisoner by the Republicans, and conveyed 

to London, and he afterwards redeemed his estate by payiug 

Cromwell a large sum of money. In " A catalogue of the Lords, 

Knights, and Gentlemen who have compounded for their Estates ; 

London, printed for T. Dring, at the signe of the George, in 

Eleet Street, 1655" — occurs this entry: — "John Dutton, of 

Sherborn, Glouc, Esq., £5216 04 00." An elder brother, John 

Dutton, " was probably against the royalists, he had so good an 

opinion of Oliver Cromwell, or the stability of his protection, 

that, dying in 1656, he appointed him guardian to his only son." 

— (Washbourne.) 



THE TOWN DURING THE CIVIL WARS. 213 

Another person, of wealth and local influence, was also a most 
enthusiastic supporter of the Throne. This was Sir B. Hicks, 
whose family was so long allied by purchase to the Cheltenham 
Rectory. This nobleman manifested his attachment to such an 
extent that he set fire to his mansion rather than it should become 
a place of shelter to the Republican army. This act appears the 
more extraordinary when it is considered that the building cost 
£30,000. With persons of influence, such as these, Royalty met 
with valiant support. It is not, therefere, to be wondered at, 
that the town should have been regarded as a stronghold of 
monarchy, and become exposed to the attacks of the Republicans. 
More especially that it was the only place that sided with 
Charles in the locality — Gloucester and Tewkesbury favouring 
the claims of Oliver Cromwell ; the Prestby terians being then 
the largest body of Religious professors in those towns, the 
members and supporters of Church and State forming but a 
mere section of the population. 

Among the names of the commanders w r ho distinguished 
themselves on the side of the King, occur those of Colonel 
H. Norwood, Lord of the Manor of Leckhampton, and an 
ancester of the Trye family ; Captain Conway Whithorne, of the 
Whithorne Lovesey family, of Charlton Kings ; he defended 
the monarch in all his local struggles, was present at the 
surrender of Worcester in 1646, and served under Charles II. 
at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 ; Sir Thomas and Sir John 
Byron, ancestors of the great poet Lord Byron, who resided in 
Cheltenham in 1812, and whose descendants have done so since 
— the Rev. J. Byron having also, for many years, held the 
adjacent vicarage of Elmstone Hardwick; Sir R. Ducie, of 
Woodchester, "who had the honour of being made banker to 
Charles I., whereby he lost £80,000 ;" the Marquisof Worcester, 
of the Beaufort family, who defended " the last garrison that 
held out for the King;" and Sir E. Lawrence, of the family of 
that name at the Greenway, Shurdington. Among the number 
was the owner of the once celebrated Cubberley Hall, which was 
located but a short distance from the " Seven Springs." In 
Shaw's " Topographer," are engravings representing Cubberley 
Hall and the Parsonage-house, in the days of their glory. The 
Hall is represented with a large court-yard filled with pages in 
martial costume. During the memorable period of the Civil Wars, 



214 HISTOHY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Cubberley was the property of Sir Thomas Pope, Earl of Downe, 
a most zealous partisan of Charles I. That unfortunate monarch 
visited the Earl, and was entertained with great pomp, on two 
separate occasions, at the Manor-house. The first visit was 
made on November 6, 164S, and the second on July 12, 1644, 
at a time when his army were actively engaged at Cheltenham 
and Gloucester in defending his right to the Crown against the 
growing power of a Cromwell. 

Discoveries have from time to time been made which prove 
that Cheltenham has been the seat of war. In L82&, when the 
spot so long known as 6C Jessop 's Nursery," consisting of about 
twenty acres, was first cultivated, a quantity of skeletons were 
found by the workmen. From that period down to the past few 
years, similar rdics of death have been turned up, and no deep 
excavation has been made without bringing to light some 
portions of the human frame. On the same property have also 
been found bullets, coins of the Commonwealth and of Charles 
I. In 1887, when the foundation was being dug out for 
the Infants' School-room in St. James's Square, and also 
when the houses in St. James's Square, Grove Street, 
Bethel Chapel, the old Catholic Chapel, and St. George's 
square, were in course of erection, human bones were exhumed in 
abundance which would lead to the conclusion that the scene of 
the engagement was one of considerable extent. Similar relics 
were also found in a garden in the occupation of Mr. Jones, 
which has since been converted into " The Avaries" by Jessop 
Brothers. 

The Cheltenham Chronicle, of Feb. 13, 1817, records the 
finding of what were doubtless relics of the battle field. This 
was in a garden belonging to Mr. Beavan, chemist, in the High- 
street. About two feet below the surface, were found masses of 
nearly perfect skeletons without any vestiges of coffins. 

" During the past week, the remains of various skeletons have 
been discovered in the extensive nursery grounds of Mr. C. H. 
Jessop in this town. The discovery was made while excavating 
for sand near the residence of Mr. Jessop, at a short distance, 
near the front entrance to the ground in St. JarnesVsquare. 
From the heaped position in which they were found, as well as 
their gigantic size *and decayed appearance, there can be but 
little doubt that they were the remains of a portion of the army 



THE TOWN DURING THE CIVIL WARS. 



215 



which perished during the memorable period of the Civil 
Wars. 

During the occupancy of the garden by Mr. Jessop, a great 




smmber of the remains of very similar skeletons have been 
excavated; the circumstances of their being associated with 
various implements of warfare, coins of Charles 1., and soldiers 
buttons of a similar date, afford a clear evidence as to the 
date of interment. The remains of a pistol, found near the 
entrance from the Bayshill estate, has a curious revolving wheel 
attached- (a class of pistols that ceased to be used after the 
Commonwealth era,) and is now in the possession of Mr. Hollis, 
gun maker, of this town. The garden where these numerous 
remains have been from time to time discovered, was doubtless 
the spot on which an engagement took place between the 
partizans of Oliver Cromwell and those of Charles I." — 
Cheltenham Free Press, Nov. 18th 1843. 

Our illustration represents the spot referred to in the account 
where these relics were exhumed. 



816 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 




" There are relics of the battle-field concealed beneath this 
fair and beauteous surface. Grim skeletons and instruments of 
death, have been, and still are, frequently disinterred from their 
dark resting-places. Cheltenham had been the King's Manor, 
and during the Civil Wars, Boyalists and Eoundheads struggled 
for possession. The Republicans, who skirmished here, were 
probably on their way to the relief of Gloucester ; and we have 
seen in a newspaper, in the account of a recent discovery by the 
workmen on the Dean Forest Eailway, another record of that 
memorable siege. As they were sinking for ballast gravel, on a 
part of the estate of T. G. Parry, Esq., at Highnam, near 
Gloucester, they disinterred twelve skeletons, all apparently the 
remains of full-grown men. Some of these skeletons were lying 
confusedly, as if the bodies to which they belonged, had been 
rather carelessly consigned to their common grave ; but others, 
and one in particular, had evidently been respectfully interred, 
and the coffins, formed of blocks of Painswick stone, had been 
built round them. ' It is conjectured, 5 says the editor, ' that 
they were the bodies of some of the officers and soldiers, who 
fell at the siege of Gloucester, during the civil wars between 
Charles I. and his Parliament." — (Letters on Cheltenham.) 

In June, 1861, a gold siege piece, of great rarity, was dug 
Up :— 

" A large gold piece, of the reign of Charles I., was found at 
Charlton, on Wednesday last, in the brickfield belonging to Mr. 
W. Smith, builder, of Oxford-passage, in this town. The 



THE TOWN DURING THE CIVIL WARS. 217 

discovery was made while excavating clay at a depth of two 
feet below the surface. It is in Mr. Smith's possession, and is 
in the finest state of preservation — the outline being as perfect 
as when first issued from the mint. It is rather larger than a 
half-crown of the present time, and appears to have been made 
of unalloyed gold. It is a fine specimen of what is known to 
antiquarians as a 'Siege piece.' It bears the Oxford mint 
mark, which links it with the history of the town during the 
Civil Wars. At the time this piece was struck at Oxford, 
Cheltenham was besieged by Oliver Cromwell. The unfortunate 
Charles then held his parliament at Oxford, and one of his 
warmest partizans in this neighbourhood was Johu Stubbes, 
then Steward of the Manor, who resided in the parish where this 
relic has been found. Charles, when Prince of Wales, was 
Lord of the Manor of Cheltenham, and the beautiful gold 
memorial now brought to light, in addition to the crown of 
England, has also upon it a device of the Prince of Wales 
feathers, and his coronet. On the obverse is a bust of Charles 
in his coronation robes, surrounded with the inscription — 
Oarolos, D. G. Mag, P.r.g.h. J. B. Hex. On the reverse, an 
escutchion compartment, surrounded with two crowns, and 
bearing on the margin the words, Plorent, Concord, 
Eegnia C. E. 

"A curious fact concerned with this discovery is, that Charles 
would appear to have been in exceedingly straightened circum- 
stances at the time this piece was coined. For we find in 
Goding's Cheltenham that letters are extant written about 
this time by Charles to his steward, Mr. Stubbes, of Charlton, 
begging the loan of '■ twenty pounds," and suggesting that if 
he had not the amount in coin he should send up his plate, as 
the King's necessities were urgent, Mr. Stubbes resided in a 
house very near the spot where the gold piece was found ; and 
the discovery and its attendant circumstances are of peculiar 
interest as illustrating the connexion between Eoyalty and this 
town, between two and three centuries ago, and the important 
scenes enacted in this neighbourhood during the Civil War, 
which ended in the execution of the monarch and the establish- 
ment of a commonwealth in these realms. The cause of these 
( Siege pieces' being made of much purer gold than the ordi- 
nary coin, is supposed to be that they were made without alloy 



218 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

from the gold plate which the leiges supplied to the distressed 
monarch in the hour of his necessities." — Cheltenham Examiner, 
June 19, 1861. 

In July, 1861, a man digging in a garden in Victoria-street, 
a short distance from the surface, turned up a copper coin of 
Charles I. (in the author's possession.) It is similar to 
many others that have been found, and we give it a passing 
notice here in order to illustrate the abundance of local 
memorials that abound belonging to this period. During the 
time the foundations were being dug out for the houses which 
form the termination of Imperial-square, opposite to Cambray 
Spa, portions of pistols, buttons, and coins, belonging to the 
loyalists, were brought to light. 

Numerous are the records extant of this memorable civil 
contest. Writers belonging to both parties issued, periodically, 
in some instances daily, accounts of the progress of the war. We 
here give extracts from these curious narratives, wliich will unfold 
the scenes that were enacted at Cheltenham and its neighbourhood. 

"The general fame did increase and heighten the repute of Sir 
William Waller, and the enemy possessed therewith, began to 
drawback on all sides; SirMathew Carew forthwith quitted the 
town of Tewkesbury, which, within twelve hours, was repossessed 
by our forces. Our party had no sooner saluted the town, but 
received an alarm that the former forces were returned with greater 
power. Twas a gallant brigade of horse, commanded by the Lord 
Grandison, which immediately came from Cheltenham, whereof 
our men had not the least intelligence." — (Corbet's Gloucester.) 

" Sept. the 5, 1643. We advanced to Prestbury, within sight 
of Gloucester. This evening the Lord General was fain to fight 
for his quarter, and beat the enemy out of it at a Market town 
called Cheltenham. The next morning, September 6, our 
soldiers came down from Prestbury Hill into the village, being- 
wet to the very skin, but could get little or no refreshing, every 
house being so full of soldiers : the cavaliers were in the town 
but the day before. We staid here but two or three hours that 
morning : our soldiers began to complain pitifully, being even 
worn out quite spent for want of some refreshing, some com- 
plaining that they had not eat or drank for two days, some 
longer time. Yesterday, the enemy raised their siege from 
before Gloucester \ this day our two regiments of the Trained 



THE TOWN DURING THE CIVIL WARS. 219 

Bands marched to a little village called Norton, three miles 
wide of Gloucester, and four miles from Tewkesbury, 
where our soldiers had so reasonable accommodation and 
refreshment. On Nov. 2 1st, the noble Lord Chandos had 
intelligence brought him yesterday at Sudeley Castle, that the 
rebels of Gloucester intended to be that day at Cheltenham, to 
receive the contributions of that Hundred, and the rents of 
Master Dutton, Lord of the place (Lord of the Manor). Upon 
this notice my Lord Chandos took with him 120 horse, and 100 
foot, and marched presently to Cheltenham, where, finding the 
rebels, he quickly fell upon them, killed half a score, and took 
twenty-two, whereof ten were of Colonel Massey's commissary, 
and was, indeed, to -k.ve been the receiver of these rents, and 
the peoples contribution, which his Lordship prevented by 
sending Master Receiver and his twenty two prisoners to Oxford, 
w r here they now are delivered to the Provost Marshall General, 
to the great delight of the country people, who by these meaus 
are freed from their new landlords. On Nov. 25th, Colonel 
Massey summoned divers carts to meet him at Cheltenham to 
carry away the goods of the town." (A true and exact 
Eelation of the Marchings of the Two Eegiments of the Train 
Bands of the City of London, in 1643). 

" Sunday, Sept. 3rd. The lord generall's horse pursued 
them, bravely fell upon them, and had a skirmish with them, 
aud his own regiment of foot charged them in front, and fired 
four roaring pieces at them, whereupon they all rode hastily 
away and our forces fired upon them. How many were slain I 
cannot certainly relate, but we took divers prisoners, who say, 
that the Lord Holland was amongst them, and that Prince 
Eupert when he saw our army swore he thought all the Sound- 
heads in England were there. Their word was " King and 
Country ;" ours " Eeligion ; 5 ' which proved the best of the 
three in the end. After marching on route through Cheltenham, 
" The next day our Londoners were appointed to quarter in a 
towne called Prestbury, within six miles of Gloucester, where 
the cavaliers then lay, as soon as ever we appeared in site of 
the towne, on the edge of the hill in sight of Gloucester, they 
drew out into a corne held and faced us again ; our forlorne hope 
descended down upon them, and as soon as they were at the 
bottom of the hill, our generall let the four pieces of ordnance at 



220 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

them, whereupon they fled as fast as their horses could carry 
them, hut we stayed some of them by the way, and sold their 
Welsh hobbies for ten shillings a piece." 

" From which siege the southern popish army is risen through 
feare, for they durst not stay to view the London apprentices 
that were marched through Cheltenham under the lorde 
generall the Eaiie of Essex within six miles of Gloucester, 
for their reliefe ; markets are kept in Gloucester, ammunition 
sent, cavaliers retreated, the queene for very griefe frighted." 
" Our scout rinds the way so impassable, by reason of the 
scattered troops of the enemy, scattered not by any defeat given 
by my lord generall, but to prevent supplies, and hinder his 
excellency from sending to the parliament a report of the Siege 
&c, for as his excellency had a braver and quicker recruiter from, 
the city, so, doubtless, he will leave no means untried to let them 
understand of his good success, and though his packets are 
stopped, there are clothiers come emmment for their honesty who 
tell us that they were in Gloucester since the reliefe of it." 

" Monday, Sept. 4. — The last week's informations related how 
farre his excellency the parliaments lord generall was advanced 
to the relief of Gloucester, viz, that on Thursday last he was 
about Bicester, in Oxfordshire, where we then left him to 
proceed. On Friday his excellency drew up all his army at 
Bayard's Green, on the plain of Bichester, from whence the 
army marched towards Chipping Norton, so that it is conceived, 
he might be as farre as Cheltenham this night, which lieth about 
seven miles from Gloucester. ' 

" Friday, Sept. 8,. — Some of the Gloucestershire Clothiers that 
are lately come out of that county, report that on Saturday and 
Sunday last, came to assault Gloucester, and got within pistol 
shot. One of them affirmeth that he saw his excellency the 
parliament's lord generall on Sunday night last at Sherborne, 
which is Master Dutton's house (the Lord of the Cheltenham 
Manor), and lieth five miles from Stow," 

" Sept. 12. — The last week's news of the raising of the siege 
and the relieving of Gloucester is now confirmed by some that 
are come from there; that they saw a great market kept thereon 
Wednesday and Thursday last, which argues that there is free 
ingresse and egresse in that city. And, whereas it has been 
reported that the lord generall hath been there in person, it is 



THE TOWN DURING THE CTVIL WARS. 221 

now informed that he came not within six miles of it, but 
lay about Cheltenham." — Parliamentary Newsboo/ces, 1643. 
(Republican). 

"Monday, Sept. 5. — His Excelleney advanced and came to 
Prestbury Hills, where he drew up his whole army in view of 
the city of Gloucester, and discharged four pieces of great 
ordnance to give them notice of his approach ; soon after we 
discovered the enemy's quarters on fire, for upon our advance, 
they deserted the seige, and marched away all that night in 
fear and disorder, the rear guard of our army, some ordnance 
and ammunition, stayed on the top of the hills by reason of the 
steepness thereof, darkness of the night, and tempestuousness of 
the weather, whereby, besides the famine, the whole army had, for 
three days march before, extremely suffered, through a country 
that the enemy had already distroyed ; and that night, through 
the violence of cold and rain, divers of their horses died. His 
Excellency, with the rest of the army quartered that night below 
the hill at Prestbury. The next day, being Wednesday, his 
Excellency marching to Cheltenham, the enemy fell into the 
quarters of Colonel Dalbeirs regiment, but having the alarm, 
soon retired with little loss. The next day, being Thursday, the 
enemy beat up the quarters of Col. Beere's and Col. Goodwin's 
regiment ; the loss was not considerable, only Major Bora 
charging the enemy very bravely, to make retreat for the rest, 
there lost his standard, lieutenant, and cornet, taken prisoners. 
His Excellency staid at Cheltenham till Friday, and then 
marched with his whole army to Gloucester, where he continued 
until Sunday, furnishing the town with ammunition, money, and 
other necessaries. In all these removes since our army came 
down the hills, the enemy avoided quartering near us, lying at 
Sudeley when we were at Gloucester ; and when we came to 
Tewkesbury, and advanced with part of our forces to Upton, 
they marched with their army to Evesham, and towards 
Worcester, ten miles, at least, from us ; whereby it appears how 
true L is that they pursued ten days to seek battle. On Friday 
morning his Excellency arose with his whole army from Tewkes- 
bury, intending to quarter that night at Cheltenham, but upon 
advertisement that a body of the enemies were then in 
Cirencester, our want of necessaries and victuals still increasing 
upon us, his Excellency made a long march with the vanguard 



222 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of the army, to fall upon them, which he did about one of the 
clock of the night, sending a party of horse to seize upon the 
sentinels and guards, whilst we, with the rest of the horse, 
begirt the town. We took there forty loads of victuals, which, 
under God's providence, was the preservation of the army till 
the day that we fought the great Eat tie of Newbury : there were 
taken six standards, all the officers except the two Colonels, who 
were absent, with divers other gentlemen of quality, above three 
hundred common soldiers and four hundred horse." (A true 
relation of the late Expedition of his Excellency, Eobert Earl of 
Essex, ordered by the Commons, Oct. 7th, 1643.) 

" On the 4th September, near Stow-in-the-Wold, a smart 
skirmish happened with Prince Eupert, who attacked Essex with 
about 4000 horse, and still appeared before the parliament's 
army as they marched on, for many miles together. On the 
5th September, Essex advanced to Prestoury Hills, drew up 
his whole army in view of the city of Gloucester, and soon 
after discovered the King's camp on fire, they having deserted 
the siege. The general himself marched to Cheltenham; but 
the King's forces often skirmished with him, and beat up his 
quarters." — (Eushworth, Clerk to the House of Commons, 1640.) 

Peihaps at no period were the weak-minded monarch and 
his adherents more in need of aid than just prior to 
the threatened invasion of the Scotch, in 1643. His own 
private purse had long been exhausted, and also the property of 
the nobles who followed him from town to town and field to 
field. The King's Parliament at that year was assembled at 
Oxford, and, as a last resource, it was deemed expedient to 
apply to different persons, throughout the kingdom, for small 
sums of money or plate, by way of loan. Amongst the number 
to whom application was made in this trying case, was John 
Stubbes (before alluded to), residing at Charlton Kings, who 
was steward of that and also of Cheltenham manor. He was 
urgently solicited to lend the sum of £20, or the same value in 
plate, and the ministers of Charles I. "promised to repay as 
soon as God shall enable." This curious petition is preserved 
on the Manorial records by the indefatigable Prinn, and we here 
publish it. The king doubtless felt that he had some claim 
upon the kindly feelings of Stubbes. He had not long previous 
sold the Manor of Cheltenham to the Sherborne family; both 



THE TOWN" DURING THE CIVIL WARS. 

before and after the sale, Stubbes was the Steward, and in 
soliciting pecuniary aid he addressed himself to one to whom lie 
was personally known. 

" Charles Hex. 

"Trusty and well beloved, we greet you well. Whereas all our 
subjects of our kingdom of England and dominion of Wales, 
are, both by their allegiance and the act of pacification bound to 
resist and suppress all such of our subjects of Scotland as have 
in a hostile manner already entered, or shall hereafter enter into 
this kingdom. And by law your personal service, attended in a 
warlike manner, for the resistance of this invasion, may be 
required by us, which we desire to spare, choosing rather to 
invite your assistance in the maintenance of our army in a free 
and voluntary expression of you affections to our service, and 
the safety of this kingdom. And whereas the members of both 
houses of Parliament, assembled at Oxford, have taken into 
their consideration the necessity of supporting our army for the 
defence of us and all our people against this invasion, and for 
the preservation of the religion, laws, and liberties, of this 
kingdom ; and thereupon have agreed upon the speedy rising of 
the sum of one hundred thousand pounds, by loans from particular 
persons, towards the which themselves have advanced very 
considerable proportions, and by their examples hope their well- 
affected subjects throughout the kingdom will in sliort time make 
up the remainder, whereby we shall not only be enabled to pay 
and to recruit our army, but likewise be enabled to put our 
armies in such a condition as our subjects shall not suffer by 
free quarter or the unruliness of our soldiers, which is now in 
present agitation, and will, we no way doubt, by the advice of 
the members of both houses assembled, be speedily effected. 
We do y towards so good a work, by the approbation and advice of 
the said members of both houses assembled, desire you forthwith 
to lend us twenty pounds, or the value thereof in plate ; touch t 
plate at five shillings, untoucht plate at four shillings and four 
pence, per ounce, and to pay or deliver the same within seven 
days after the receipt thereof to the hands of the high sheriff of 
that our county, or to such whom he shall appoint to receive 
the same, who is forthwith to return and pny the same at 
Corpus Christi College, Oxford, to the bauds of the Earl of 



224 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Bath, Lord Seymour, Mr. John Ashbournham, and Mr. John 
Pettiplace, or any of them who are appointed Treasurers for 
the receiving of the same and issuing thereof by the said 
members, by whose order the said money is only to be disposed, 
and to give receipts for the same, the which we promise to 
repay as soon as God will enable us. The sum to be advanced 
with speed. We are necessitated to apply ourselves to such 
persons as yourself, of whose liability and affection we have 
confidence, giving you this further assurance, that in such further 
charges that the necessity of our just defence shall enforce us to 
require of our good subjects, your forwardness and disburse- 
ments shall be considered to your best advantage, and so 
presuming you will not fail to express your affection herein, we 
bid you farewell.— Given at our court at Oxford, the 14th day 
of February, in the nineteenth year of our reign 1643. 

" By the advice of the members of both houses assembled at 
Oxford. 

" ED. LITTLETON, L. S. 

" Gloucr " SIMP. EYRE, L. S. 

"To John Stubbes, of Charlton Kings." 

A more humiliating request was never, we should presume, 
sent from any monarch or his ministers, to a subject, than the 
one which is contained in this ancient local record. The 
Parliament alluded to at Oxford consisted of the friends of the 
king alone. After it had received supplies and voted them 
away, it was dissolved, and never after re-assembled. It 
was composed of about two hundred members — less than half 
the number of the Parliament sitting at the same time in 
Westminster. 

Another local record by Prinn is a letter addressed to the 
Monarch by his Queen, and its contents show the difficult 
position which royalty was placed in, being not only harrassed 
by public men but by his own domestic circle : — 

Queen Henrietta Maria to her Husband, Charles 
L, a.d. 1646. — "The folly is so great, that I do not understand 
it. Delays have always ruined you. As to your answer on the 
militia, I would believe that you will not consent to pass it for 
two years, as I understand you will be pressed to do, and that 



THE TOWN DURING THE CIVIL WAHS. 225 

you will refuse it. But, perhaps, it is already done ; you are 
beginning again your old game of yielding everything. For my 
own consolation, however, 1 will hope the contrary, till I hear 
the decision \ for I confess that if you do it, you ruin me in 
ruining yourself; and that, could I have believed it, I should 
never have quitted England ; for my journey is rendered 
ridiculous by what you do, having broken all the resolutions 
that you and I had taken, except of going where you are and 
that to do nothing. I send you this man express, hoping that 
you will not have passed the militia bill. If you have, I must 
think about retiring for the present into a convent, for you are 
no longer capable of protecting any one, not even yourself." 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

Hocai ®obauo plantations. 

CHELTENHAM was once as celebrated for the quantity and 
quality of the Tobacco, which its inhabitants reared, as it 
now is for its Mineral Waters and Educational Establishments. 
The applicability of the ciimate for the cultivation of this 
fashionable weed is fully demonstrated by the free manner in 
which the plant still grows in our local gardens. 

Our town, during the period of its prosperity in the monastic 
era, appears to have shared in the trade of its day ; and even 
after the time of the Civil Wars, in the Commonwealth period, 
it seems to have been a place noted for its Tobacco Plantations. 
This is certainly a singular and striking fact. To a traveller 
who visited this " Queen of Watering Places" two centuries 
ago, how strange a sight must have been presented to his view ! 
— a few houses with a running stream in their front forming the 
High-street, and the land on euher side planted out with tobacco. 

An account of Cheltenham and its ancient tobacco plantations 
is given in a work of rare, costly, and national character. It 



S26 HISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. 

is of a large folio size, embellished with a number of highly- 
finished engravings, and devoted to an account of all the places 
known in the reign of Charles II., to whom it was especially 
dedicated. It was published in 1675, and has the following- 
title-page : — " Britannia, or an illustration of the Kingdom of 
England and Dominion of Wales ; by a Geographical and 
Historical description of the Principal roads thereof, &c. — By 
John Ogliby, Esq., His Majesty's Cosmographer, and Master of 
His Majesty's Kevels in the Kingdom of Ireland." In this work 
is contained a plan of Cheltenham as it then stood in connection 
with other post towns. Erorn this we learn that the only mail- 
road which then intersected it, was on the route from Gloucester 
to Coventry — passing from Cheltenham by the Swindon-road on 
the spot shown in the sketch to Prestbury and through Winch - 
comb. The author thus informs his readers — "At nine miles 
(from Gloucester) enter Cheltenham, in extent 6 furlongs ; it 
numbers near 200 houses ; hath a fair church. — Winchcomb is 
a large town, containing about 300 houses ; a place well known, 
for at this place and Cheltenham, the people are much given to 
plant tobacco, though they are supprest by authority." The 
writer of this voluminous work assures us in his preface that all 
his observations are founded upon actual visits to the places 
detailed and made by royal command. On this account the 
information is extremely valuable. 

In further illustration of the important position which Chelt- 
enham then occupied as a tobacco growing parish, we give 
verbatim extracts (from the " Perfect Diurnall") of the minutes 
of the House of Commons, in chronological order : — 

1652, April 1. — An Act passed, prohibiting the planting of 
tobacco in England, which materially affected the interests of 
many persons in Gloucestershire. 

May 6 - — This day was read in the House of Commons "The 
humble Petition and cries of many land owners and labourers of 
Cheltenham and Winchcomb." 

Eesolved, that a declaration be brought in to-morrow morning, 
for dispensing with the forfeiture of the Act, intituled "An Act 
Prohibiting the Planting of Tobacco in England, for all Tobacco 
that was planted within this Commonwealth before the 6th day 
of May, 1652, for this year only." 

1653, Aug. 15. — Three pence upon every pound of tobacco 



LOCAL TOBACCO PLANTATION S. 227 

planted in the county of Gloucester to be paid by the planters 
to the use of the commonwealth. 

Sept. 3. — A bill passed allowing the English planters in 
Gloucestershire to enjoy the English Tobacco by them planted 
this year only without interruption." 

To ye Parliament. 

The humble petition and cries of many land owners and 
labourers at Cneltenhain and Winchcomb in ye county of 
Gloucester. 

Humbly complaininge, sheweth unto your most excellent 
Majesty and Parliament, your obedient and faithful! subjects, the 
growers and cominalicy, of ye towns of Cheltenham and Winch- 
comb : that your petitioners have for many years past grown in 
ye common fields ye weed called Tobacco, and pray that your 
Highnesse and Parliament will permitt them through your 
Councid to practice the same, as their crops will be perilled and 
lost and it will be to ye ruined of very many labourers : our 
crops thereof growing and growen also into decay, with many 
other inconveuiences, in tender consideration thereof, may it- 
please your Majesty's Hon. Counsell, according to ye necessity 
of ye cause, and your said obedient subjects, and all the countries 
thereabout, shall accordingly pray for your Highnesse and Parlia- 
ment. Cheltenham, May 1652. 

The real reason why the Cheltenham growers were interferred 
with by the Legislature was from the fact that vested interests were 
at stake. Fuller tells us that the inhabitants were acquiring wealth 
by the practice. This excited the ire of the Merchants (who 
were importing the then scarce weed from Virginia) to such an 
extent that the House of Commons interferied, and attempted to 
suppress the local plantations. The inhabitants, so loyal to 
their sovereign upon other occasions, did not tamely submit to 
be deprived of a trade that had proved so highly lucrative. The 
order for putting in force the enactment was entrusted to the 
authorities of Gloucester. A regiment of soldiers entered the 
town and commenced the work of destroying the plantations. 
The inhabitants defended themselves bravely, and the soldiers, 
who were mounted on horses, were glad to beat a retreat. In 
the Mercurim Politicus, a Court newspaper, published on July 
31st, 1658, it is said that "Cornet Wakefield, with a party of 
horse, marched out of Gloucester to destroy the Tobacco about 



228 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Winchcomb and Cheltenham. The country did rise on them, 
about 500 or 600, threatening to kill them, horse and man, so 
that they were constrained to depart. 55 The document which 
was sent down by the parliament for carrying the work of 
destruction into effect, is preserved among the city of Gloucester 
records. We transcribe it on these paues in order still further 
to illustrate the excitement which then prevailed, not only locally, 
but throughout Europe : — 

To the Maior and Justices of the Peace for the Citty and County 
of the Citty of Gloucester. 

Gentlemen, — 

The late Parliament having, by their Act, published April 

4, 1693, prohibited the planting of Tobacco in England, his 

Highnesse, with the advice and consent of his Councell, did on 

the 11th April, 1654, passe an Ordinance for authorising certain 

persons therein named to put the fore recited act in execution; 

being induced thereunto from consideration then had of the 

prejudice and loss ariseing to the English plantations abroad, 

and to the trade at home by planting of the Tobacco in this 

nation. After that ordinance was passed, it appeared to his 

Highnesse, by the petition ot several persons about Winchcomb 

and Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, and other places adjacent, 

that several quantities of Tobacco had been planted in that 

season in several of those places, and it was prayed thereupon 

by the petitioners, that they might enjoy their crop of Tobacco 

then growing, promising wit hall to forbeare the planting of any 

more for the future without license granted to them in that 

behalf. Whereupon the Commissioners appointed by the said 

ordinance, and all others employed under them, or by their 

authority, had direction from his Highnesse and his Councell to 

suspend the further execution of that Ordinance and Act of 

Parliament as to the Crop then growing, till further order. Lately 

his Highnesse hath been addressed to by several Merchants, 

and others relating to Virginia, &c, complaining of the greate 

damage that hath accrewed to the English plantations abroad by 

the great Quantities of English Tobacco ; the Trade to those 

parts being also thereby discouraged; in the consequences 

whereof Navigation will be impaired, the Custoraes of this 



LOCAL TOBACCO PLANTATIONS. 229 

Commonwealth lessened, and the people thereof inhabiting 
those plantations impoverished. On consideration of which his 
Highnesse, upon advice with his Councell, have determined to 
lead the Commissioners appointed by the said Ordinance to see 
the said Act of Parliament put in effectual execution ; and not 
to license the planting of any Tobacco in England contrary to 
the purport and tenor thereof. And, therefore, to the intent the 
persons concerned may not, through want of seasonable warning, 
draw inconvenience upon themselves by further planting of Tobacco 
in your parts, the Councell doth hereby commend it to your care 
that this resolution of his Highnesse be -published in your city 
and county, at such places as you shall judge most convenient, 
and in such a way as noe person concerned may give just cause 
to pretend ignorance thereof; and that all such persons be let to 
understand, that his Highnesse doth require, and will expect the 
due conformity therein ; and that in case any of them shall 
presume the contrary, they must charge the detriment that will 
thence ensue upon their own default, which will be the less 
excusable, considering his Highnesse's indulgence as to the last 
Yeare's Crop, and their owne undertaking not to plant noe more 
without special license obtained. 

Signed in the name and by 
Whitehall, Order of the Councell, 

27 March, 1655. He : Laurence, Presid. 

Notwithstanding this explicit Proclamation on the part of the 
government, and backed by a military power, the growth of the 
newly discovered weed was not abolished. We have seen that 
Ogliby, who visited the place in 1675, describes it as populated 
by a people " much given to plant Tobacco, though they are 
supprest by authority." No author after him speaks of the 
existence of the plantations, and it is, therefore, probable that a 
later enactment finally abolished the local cultivation of the 
Virginian plant. 

During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, a complete change took 
place in the commercial character of the nation. The rigid and 
restrictive laws of a previous age had been suffered to fall into 
disuse. Tobacco, which was then regarded as a great luxury 
by the English, was imported from Virginia, and realized a high 
price. The value of the commodity induced several persons in 



230 HISTOKY. OF CHELTENHAM. 

Ireland to attempt its growth, and in England the same experi- 
ment was tried at Cheltenham, Winchcomb, and Postlip. That 
these three last-named places should have been selected is not 
surprising when we remember that Ogliby informs us that they 
had then mail-roads, thereby affording an opportunity for 
commercial intercourse. Charles IT. was crowned in 1661, and 
one of the first acts of his administration was to repeal all laws 
in favour of a popular government ; and among his enactments 
was one prohibiting the growth of tobacco in England and 
Ireland. The British Constitution, vol. ii., informs us that the 
two places in England that were affected by the Tobacco Act, 
were Cheltenham and Winchcomb. Euller, the eminent Church 
historian, asserts that so extensive were the Tobacco plantations 
in Winchcomb and the neighbourhood " that many got great 
estates thereby." 

"Whether we were indebted for our tobacco to the celebrated 
Sir Walter Ealeigh, who first introduced it into England, I am 
not prepared to say, but I think it highly probable. Sir Walter 
Ealeigh, though born in Devon, was, by descent and property, a 
Gloucestershire man. The Ealeigh's had property at Edgeworth, 
Lassington, Preston, and Turkdean, from the time of Richard II. 
to the reign of Elizabeth and James I. The celebrated Sir 
Walter himself possessed properties at Hawkesbury, Boxwell, 
Leighterton, and Whitminster, which were forfeited to the Crown 
on his attainder. In writing his " History of the World," he 
was assisted by a learned Gloucestershire man, Eobert Burhill, 
of Dimmock. The Legislature, in her anxiety to protect the 
trade of her West India colonies, and for the sake of the revenue, 
has long since forbid the cultivation of the fragrant weed in this 
kingdom ; but whether, in these days of free trade, it be neces- 
sary to continue the prohibition of the growth of this article of 
agricultural produce, is a question between the farmers and the 
Legislature. There is clearly nothing in the soil and climate to 
prevent its being grown as well here as in France, Germany, and 
other parts of Europe." — (Eev. S. Lysons). 

"Eichard Pates, the founder of the Grammar School, was a 
correspondent of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the brother-in-law of 
Sir W 7 alter Ealeigh, and is mentioned in familiar terms in the 
unpublished autograph letters, which I was fortunate enough 
lately to meet with. It is probable that, when the two knights 



LOCAL TOBACCO PLANTATIONS. 231 

introduced the weed from Virginia, a parcel of the seed was 
consigned to him ; for Cheltenham was early famous for the 
growth of tobacco, which, with corn, formed the staple com- 
modities of the place previous to the Act of Charles IT., which 
made home grown tobacco exciseable." — {Letters on Cheltenham.) 

Winchcomb yet retains some relics of its ancient tobacco 
traffic. The barn where the weed was warehoused is located in 
North Street. The Wesleyan Chapel also stands on the site of 
another tobacco barn. Postlip Hall, midway between Chelt- 
enham and Winchcomb, was also a place where the process of 
" wetting" and "drying" was carried on, and in the old Post- 
office Directories it is included with the Tobacco Plantations. 

"It is a remarkable circumstance, but little known, that 
tobacco, originally brought into our kingdom by Sir John 
Hawkins, in the year 1565, was first planted on English ground 
in this parish; and yielded a considerable produce and profit to 
the inhabitants, till they were restrained from the cultivation of 
it by an Act of Parliament, passed in the 12th year of the reign 
of Charles II."— (Journey to Cheltenham Spa, 1781.) 

The first local introduction of the plant is ascribed by Camden 
to the great circumnavigator, Sir Francis Drake. The last- 
named historian relates that when tobacco was brought into 
England the first time by Sir Francis Drake, " that it imme- 
diately began to grow in very general use, and to bear a high 
price." — (Camden). 

The author of the Cheltenham Guide, 1786, observes: — - 
" Tobacco was first planted in this parish, and yielded a 
considerable produce and profit to the inhabitants till 1660, 
1st, Charles II, when an Act was passed for prohibiting the 
cultivation of it. Tobacco was not known in England till 1586, 
28th Elizabeth, when a fleet, under the command of Sir Francis 
Drake, and the Earl of Carlisle, general of the land forces, after 
having, in 1586, taken St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, 
and St. Domingo, but being dispersed by a storm, part of them 
keeping on their course, along a desolate coast, lighted with some 
Englishmen, who had planted themselves in Virginia, so named 
in honour of their virgin Queen, having been carried over thither 
for a colony in April, 1584, by Sir Walter Raleigh. Ealph 
Lane, one of the above, came over with Sir F. Drake, and was 
the first who brought Tobacco into England ; which had been 



232 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 

discovered by the Spaniards in Tabaco, and was introduced in 
France by Nicot, and by the Trench was first called Nicotiana. 
Sir Francis Drake, at the same time, first brought Potatoes into 
England," The family of Sir F. Drake were allied to one of 
our county families, and the last descendant of the great 
circumnavigator lies buried in Leckhampton churchyard, where 
monuments exist to his memory, both within and without the 
church. 

Sir Francis H. Drake,Bart., who was the last of this renowned 
family, was a resident of Cheltenham until his decease in 1839. 
The pedigree and descent of the noble baronet is described on 
the tablet to his memory, in the interior of Leckhampton Church, 
His great ancestor, Sir Francis, who travelled round the globe 
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, was on personal intimacy with 
the u noble house of Berkeley," and a large portion of the 
furniture which was used in his cabin, three centuries ago, still 
adorns the walls of Berkeley castle. 

At the time when the plant was reared in such abundance in 
the locality it became a fashionable article, and Cigar Divans 
were established in London. The Criminal Trials, vol. i., relates 
in confirmation of this, that the Peers copiously smoked tobacco 
whilst deliberating upon the verdict of the unfortnnate Earls 
Essex and Southampton. Sir Walter Kaleigh also sat smoking 
his pipe while looking at Essex's execution. And the popularity 
in which tobaccp was held at the period when it was growing at 
Cheltenham and Winchcomb is apparent from the following lines, 
which occur in a very curious small octavo work (half manuscript) 
purchased by the late T. Plennev, Esq , J. P. (together with 
" Ogliby's Brittania," which we quoted at the beginning of the 
chapter.) This singular production of the days of Oliver 
Cromwell, is entitled The Marrow of Cowplimente, and has a 
marginal reference to " ye praises of Cheltenham Tobacco." It 
was published in 1654 : — 

" Much meat doth Gluttony procure 
To feed men as fat as swine ; 
But he's a frugal man indeed, 
That on a leaf can dine ! 

" He needs no napkin for his hands, 
His fingers' end to wipe, 
That hath Ins kitchen in a box, 
His roast meat in a Pipe !" 



LOCAL TOBACCO PLANTATIONS. 233 

We thus see the very general fame that the Cheltenham 
tobacco fields once acquired. There is a difference of opinion as 
to who was the first introducer. The probabilities are, we think, 
that Sir Walter Ealeigh was the means of our becoming a 
tobacco growing town. Richard Pates, the benevolent founder 
of the Grammar School, who, for nearly twenty years, conducted 
and superintended that establishment in person, was ever mindful 
of the interests of the town. His intimate friendship with the 
Ealeigh family, as evidenced by the letters yet extant, may have 
led to the establishment of the Cheltenham Tobacco Plantations. 
The Ealeighs resided in the neighbourhood ; Sir Walter Ealeigh, 
the great traveller's grandson, married the daughter and heiress 
of Sir Anthony Lawrence, Knight, of Sandywell Park. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



Qty Sofon prior to tfje Discobcrg of tlje iWtneral 

Sinters. 



FEOM the first dawn of Saxon history, when the early converts 
to Christianity reared a local Monastery, down to the State 
abolition of all such institutions, Cheltenham maintained an 
important position as an agricultural district. The fact of its 
having been a royal manor tended, to some extent, to promote 
its prosperity. No less than nineteen crowned heads of England 
have been owners of the place, from the Saxon Edward to the 
unfortunate Charles I. Through all these successive reigns, 
Cheltenham enjoyed rights and privileges, and contributed so 
largely towards the expenses of the State, as to demonstrate 
that the then inhabitants must have been iu prosperous circum- 



234 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 

stances. Such was the high state of cultivation that, in the 
thirteenth century, Henry ITI. had leased the parish in several lots 
to farm tenants. The local trade arising from this state of things, 
induced the monarch to increase the number of fairs and markets. 
These united privileges gave so much importance to the place, 
that Henry was enabled to exchange it away " for the seaports of 
Winchelsea and Eye." The parties who thus became possessed 
of the place were the Abbot and Monks of the Norman Abbey 
of Eescamp, and many new privileges were included in their 
charter, not the least of which was the grant to the Abbot of a 
license " to let out the manor to religions men and others, 55 a 
proof that the monks were the best cultivators of the soil at 
that period. The original grant legalizing the exchange to 
Eescamp Abbey, is in the possession of Mr. G. A. Williams, 
librarian, of this town. It is dated the thirty-first year of the 
reign of Henry III., and by it the Abbot is constituted, not only 
the Ecclesiastical, but the judicial ruler of the manor. He is to 
appoint bailiffs, to try criminals, issue writs, " no steward or 
marshall is to interfere,' 5 and if any one should not obey the 
manorial mandate, <e he having been summoned before the 
Exchequer, shall pay one hundred pounds of gold. 5 ' From the 
days of Henry .III., down to a century and a half later, the 
place continued to increase in prosperity, and each succeeding 
monarch added new privileges. 

We now reach a period in history when the town, in common 
with other places, held under monastic tenure, had to experience 
the reverses of fortune. This lamentable event was brought 
about by the dissolution of Alien Priories ; and not only 
Cheltenham, but other places in England, were reduced to 
poverty. " So great had been the dilapidation of cities and 
towns that eleven streets in the city of Winchester had fallen 
into decay; and in 1468 the opulent counties of Essex and 
Hertford were so bare of substantial inhabitants, that not one 
town in the latter county, and only Colchester and Maldon in 
the former, could send a member to Parliament. 55 — (Fosbrooke). 
Cheltenham had, up to this period, sent its two members to 
Parliament, and a subsequent chapter will demonstrate that, on 
account of the poverty of its inhabitants, a petition was presented 
praying to be released from that Act on the score of expense. 
In 1441, in the twentieth year of the reign of Henry VI., 



THE TOWN PttlOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 335 

according to records of Parliament, an Act was passed that all 
cities and towns desolate and wasted, or overcharged, were 
released from the <c Quindismess and Dismes" (local taxes), 
and, accordingly, it was ordered — " That the laypeople, dwelling 
in the toune of Cheltenham, yn the shire of Gloucr, to the 
payment of the half of the said xvme, and xme, or any part 
thereof, concerning the said tonne, by force of this graunt, be 
not arted nor compelled, but thereof quyte and discharged for 
ever." This state of things was but of very short duration, and 
Cheltenham arose, Phcenix like, from its decay, and became a 
Manor of high celebrity. In 1492, the Nunnery of Sion, the 
manorial possessors, received from the rent of lands annually, 
the sum of £111 6s. 8cl., — a very large amount for the time, 
and a convincing proof of the prosperous state of the locality. 
Eor three centuries Cheltenham was monastic property, and with 
but one exception during that long period, it gradually increased 
in population and prosperty, and enjoyed privileges of no 
ordinary character. 

Leland, who visited the place prior to the Reformation, 
thus describes it in his "Itinerary:" — •" Chiltenham, a large 
town, havynge a market. It belonged to the Abbey of Ciren- 
cester, now to the kynge. There is a brook on the south side 
of the towne." 

It continued in this state until Henry VIII. took possession 
of the Catholic property of England, when, as a consequence of 
that arbitary act. the place became reduced to poverty, and it 
did not afterwards fully recover its ancient glory and celebrity. 

Prom the time of the monastic dissolution, the history of 
Cheltenham takes a new and lamentable turn. Inability to 
support its Member? of Parliament and its many other privileges, 
is the repeated complaint of its inhabitants during the reigm of 
Elizabeth. The Manor, in 1540, having reverted to the Crown, 
attempts were made to resuscitate it both by the owner and 
lessee, but with little success. The fact of the place being 
defended as royal property during the war which occurred 
between Charles I. and Oliver Cromwell, caused many to take 
up their temporary abode in it at that time. After this ill-fated 
war had subsided, Cheltenham a°:ain relapsed into obscurity, 
and for at least 130 years after the reign of Charles II. no 
account of its population was taken, whilst the parish registers, 



236 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

by the few obituary notices which they contain, prove that the 
town during the period must have been very thinly populated. 

The small village, with its running stream, which Cheltenham 
degenerated into after the reign of Elizabeth, lost whatever 
trade might have existed prior to that time. The introduction 
of the tobacco plant into England for a time made the fortune 
of the place. 

The most interesting incident connected with the former com- 
merce of Cheltenham, is the fact of its having been an extensive 
Tobacco Plantation. Tradition, Parliamentary papers, and the 
historic pas;e unite in demonstrating that the town, for at least 
half a century, was famed for both the quantity and the quality 
of the tobacco grown within its limits. 

It is a curious fact, that the trade of baking bread was 
attempted to be monopolised by a few tradesmen in the town 
during the sixteenth century. Among the Prynne MSS. is 
preserved a copy of a petition sent to Queen Elizabeth from the 
master bakers of Cheltenham, complaining that certain strangers 
had settled in the town and had taken away their custom ! 

In 1712, the only seat was at Arle, belonging to Mr. Justice 
Dormer, fe who had a very large estate in the neighbourhood ;" 
and the only good houses, Mr. Hiet's at Alstone, and Mr. 
Mitchell's in the town. The hundred of Cheltenham contains 
Alstone, Arle, Cheltenham, Charlton Kings, Leckhampton, 
Swindon, Westall, Naunlon, and Sand ford. Arle and Alstone 
contained each 30 houses, Westall 6, Naunton and Sandford 5, 
and the town itself 250 ; making a total of 321." (Atkyns.) 

The prices obtained for articles of commerce and for labour 
tend to illustrate 1he condition of the locality. According to 
Prinn, in 1 620 the harvest was an abundant one, and the 
market prices obtainable in the town during that year was — for 
wheat three shillings, and barley sixteen pence per bushel. The 
same authority records that the most prolific harvest was in 
1655, and that in the July of that year the market prices at 
Cheltenham were, for wheat, seventeenpence per bushel, and 
barley, one shilling and twopence ! 

In the reign of Charles the Second, these entries occur in a 
manuscript journal of the De-la-bere family— once the largest 
owners of property in the borough ; — 



THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 237 

"April, 1678. £ s. d. 

Paid for a Cow bought of William Prinn 4 7 6 

Paid William Gurtun for 18£ Bushel of Wheat 4 U 

Paid in full towards ye Mare 3 6 8 

Wm JSfayles had fur two days vvorkefor Malting 2 4? 

Wm Mant had for six days worke in ye Church 7 8 

Pd. Wm Laud lor two days Work viz. for putting on of ye hinges"} q 2 4 

upon ye board commanding the Bell >q q 4, 

and lor putdug on a crank on ye filth day of April 16/9 J 

Paid Win Yard one pound oi Butter at 5 

Paid now for 26 lb. of Bread 2 2 

Pd A, Elmior to buy a breed pyg for Margarett Powell 5 

In a De-la-bere MS 8. is this entry : — 

*' 1720, Wheat sold at Cheltenham Market 6, Bushel at 4s. 8d....£l 8 

„ „ „ 15, Ditto at 4 8 ... 3 10 

12, Ditto at 4 10 ... 2 18 

A butcher's bill dated October 5th, 1739, and addressed to 
" Master Thos Pope, ye Plough," has the following items : — 

Ye Lamb quarter 111b. at 2£d. ... ... .. 

Loyn Mutton , 

A leg of lam 

A pound Suet 

A pound Mutton 

"Ye contents of ys Bill Reed per me 



The Gregory family were tanners and butchers. The tan 
yard was located near the banks of the Ghelt at the top of the 
town, on the site of the present new road, uniting the High 
Street with the Bath lload. 

The " Cirencester Plying Post" of May, 1744, announces a 
good supply of grain in the market, rnd adds — " Price of Corn 
at Cheltenham : — Wheat from 2s. 3d, to 2s. 4d. per bushel; 
Beans, from 2s. to 2s. 2d. per bushel." 

The village-like character of Cheltenham during the past 
century is further illustrated by the manner in which the local 
poor were taken care of. The small number chargeable to the 
parish is evident from the poor-rates not amounting on an 
average to more than £12 annually. Under the old Poor Law, 
relief was given at the dwelling-house of the applicant, to 
parties who in some instances resided in their own freehold — of 









s 


a. 









~Z 


3i 








11 








1 


Oj 











3J 




• •• . 








2i 




4 


8 


X 


Rich 


Gergory, 


his mark. 





238 EISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. 

so little value was property at that period in the town. In con- 
sequence of this system, alter death, the parish took possession 
of the property, and there are notices on the parish books of the 
same being ordered to be sold. In one case it is recorded that 
the parties died of " sweating sickness," and the Overseers 
effect a sale to reimburse themselves. The most recent instances 
of the kind was in the years 1811, 1812, and 1818. In ac- 
cordance with an order of Vestry, four houses of this class, 
situate in Day-lane (Grove- street), were sold by public auction. 
The purchaser was the late B. Jones, Esq., but not afterwards 
liking the " sweating sickness" title, he was exonerated from his 
agreement. In 1812 the property was again brought to the 
hammer, and "ordered to be sold for £100, with such title as 
the parish had." In the same year, and in 1818, houses and a 
cottage and garden at the Knap were sold, and the proceeds 
ordered to be applied towards liquidating the debt on the oid 
workhouse. The purchaser was J. Pitt, Esq. 

The inexpensive and simple manner in which our ancestors 
administeied parochial relief may be inferred from this entry in 
the De-la-bere Journal, (before quoted) of the year 1678, the 
writer being the only local magistrate : — 

The 13th of March, Elinor Powell, a poore woman had 6d., being then allowed 
by Walter Phillips and Thomas Waite's to have some reliele out ol ye parish. 
Elinor Powell's accompts. 

the 5th March, pd. Elinor Powell 

the 19th of March, pd 

the 26th of March, pd 

the 2nd da) of April, pd 

the 9 th of April, pd 

The old custom was to rent a house to receive inmates, and 
then il that should "happen lo be lull" other houses were 
engaged. In the rate-book of 1722 the rent of the workhouse 
was £8, and in the rate-book of 1763 the rental was £10 
annually, The Cheltenham Chronicle of JSov. 22, 1810, thus 
announces the labours of the Poor Committee, as reported to 
Vestry : — Two days in each week are specifically set apart, the 
whole of which are employed by the churchwardens and over- 
seers in ascertaining the rents or value of houses and lands 
within the parish and hamlets connected with it, in order to 
effect the first great object in view, the equalizing the rate. 



Us. 


6d. 





b 


u 


6 





6 





6 



THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURA 339 

They are preparing to establish a rope walk in the ground at- 
tached to the poor-house, which wilL probably be a source of 
very beneficial employ to the poor. Several families who have 
at different times been improperly admitted, are now directed to 
be dismissed from the poor-house, in order to make way for the 
admission of others in more necessitous circumstances, and for 
whose accommodation as to places of residence, an unreasonable 
expense by the rems of houses now directed to be abolished, 
has been incurred.' 5 

The vestry-book of this parish bears witness to many praise- 
worthy efforts of this kind waich have been made in former 
years. The following extract from one of the many entries will 
illustrate the manner in which our local trade was generally in- 
troduced : — •' At a vestry meeting holden in the parish church 
on July 26th, 1796, we, whose names are underwritten, do agree 
that Henry Smith, one of the overseers of the poor of this parish, 
shall agree with Messrs. Haines and Co., of the city of Glou- 
cester, to establish the pin trade in the w T orkhouse of this 
parish/ 5 Another means adopted at this period, was the bind- 
ing out of parish apprentices. Many of these, in after-life, 
were thus enabled to become resident tradesmen, and in several 
instances died in opulence. In the parish chest are preserved 
hundreds of indentures of past apprenticeships ; and the care 
and judgment in selecting the trades reflect credit on the con- 
duct of the then officials of the parish. 

Houses were occasionally rented as circumstances required, 
until the increase of the local poor necessitated the erection of a 
separate house. The last premises rented was Allstone villa, 
which was afterwards converted into a fashionable boarding- 
house, to which was attached a spa. The old workhouse occu- 
pied the site of the Parish Church School-room, by the Great 
Western Station. It was the first erected, and after being leased 
for years was purchased by the Guardians, and when the New 
Poor Law came into operation it was altered to meet the provi- 
sions of that Act. But even this building, which was of some 
extent, proved inadequate for the purpose, and a more spacious 
one was erected. It was begun in 1840, and occupation by the 
inmates commenced on October 30th, 1841. Its accommodation 
then extended to 581 inmates, and since that period additional 
wings have been built which have matenallv increased its size. 



240 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The district over which the Board of Guardians have controul in 
the Cheltenham Union — comprises thirteen parishes, which, 
according to the census of 1861, contained a population of 
49,682, and occupying an area of statute acres of 24,303. 
Under the oid Poor Law, just prior to its abrogation, the annual 
sum expended for the relief of the poor was £5,770. Under 
the New Act the average expenditure of the Union is above 
£20,000 per annum. 

The introduction of the New Poor Law led to an organized 
system suitable to the large increase of the population. The 
administration of the provisions of the Act have been judiciously 
effected by a Board of Guardians elected annually. I he orderly 
and healthy character of the inmates of the workhouse, and the 
remarkably clean and comfortable manner in which the estab- 
lishment has been kept, is a matter of notoriety both among 
visitors and residents. From the commencement of the New 
Act, records ot all receipts and expenditures properly audited 
exist, so that we are enabled to present to the reader the sums 
which have been collected in tabular form, as also the latest re- 
turns of how the sums thus collected are dispensed. In 1840, 
Mr. Thomas Boodle was elected assistant-overseer, and from that 
period to September in the year 1 86 1, that efficient officer collected 
the large amount of £327,877 9s. 9d., which is in fact the 
contribution of the past twenty years and a-half of the inhabit- 
ants of Cheltenham towards the poor-rate. We annex a copy 
from the assistant overseer's books, of the poor-rates collected 
under the New Poor Law Act up to September, 1861, and 
since 1840. 

The account is presented in tabular form, and the amount 
given is the net sum raised after abatements have been made 
upon the original assessment in consequence of appeals, and 
" void and excused." The sum of £20,296 17s. Oid. was the 
net proceeds ot that portion of the collected rate for the Union 
for the year ending March, 1861. The average of the sum 
allowed tor abatements may be inferred from the half-yearly report 
for Cheltenham, viz.: Excused, £479 17s.; void, £335; this 
was upon a shilling rate, and the reduction of assessments are 
in proportion to the amount of the rate. The sum here put on 
record is according to what has been received for the year* and 
like the audited accounts of the Guardians, contains the receipts 



THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 241 

within two half-yearly periods, but not the entire rate, the 
balance being carried on to the next account. The two 
latest fully-collected rates for this parish only, of one shilling, 
and one shilling and threepence in the pound, amounted to 
£19,000 18s. 9d. 

POOR RATES FOR THE PARISH OP CHELTENHAM. 



Year when levied. 


Net amount collecte -1 




£ s. d. 


1840 


10,358 5 3 


1841 


9,663 18 5 


1842 


..* 12,402 5 2 


1843 


12,165 8 


1844 


11,060 1 2 


1845 


9,441 8 6 


1846 


17,913 19 3 


1847 


17,148 6 


. 1848 


16,069 17 9 


1849 


17,895 17 6 


1850 ... ' 


14,326 2 10 


1851 


15,951 6 5 


1852 


15,471 1 6 


1853 


12,397 19 3 


1854 


16,889 11 9 


1855 


18,705 14 9 


1856 


16,470 6 3 


1857 


1.8,145 5 3 


1858 


.. 16,200 5 1 


1859 


16,404 16 


1860 


15,642 16 


1861 


22,489 11 11 


Total collected ia 21 years 


£333,213 16 8 



The prosperous state of the town causes full employment to 
all resident labourers, consequently, the only parties who receive 
parochial assistance are those who are either enfeebled by disease 
or old age. This was clearly proved by statistical returns pro- 
duced at a meeting of the Board of Guardians held in July, 
1861. Mr. Downing, the chairman of the Board, in presenting 
the return observed, "that of the paupers who were in receipt 
of out-door relief, 764 were over 50 years of age, and 371 over 
the age of 70, There were 218 men, and 546 women, whose 
ages varied from 50 to 94, which last-named age was that of 
the oldest pauper out of the house, there being one above that 
age in the house* With reference to the workhouse itself, there 



24? HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

were in it at the time the revision took place, 44 boys, 49 girls, 
18 infants, 18 men, 78 old men, and 19 under the age of 50. 
There were also 43 old women, 35 being under the age of 50, 
and 4 tramps, making a total of 291. Out of the 863, whose 
individual cases were enquired into, he found that there were 456 
widows, 32 deserted women, 162 married women, 61 single 
women, 79 widowers, 7 single men, 162 married men, 13 
paralysed, 11 bed-ridden, 12 blind, 8 idiotic, and 22 cripples. 
The Guardians sometimes heard the cry raised of impositions 
being practised on the Board, but it would be seen from the 
statement he had read, that most of the relief given, was 
bestowed on persons who were really aged." 

The expenditure of the Cheltenham Union for the year ending 
March 25th, 1861, was £20,313 12s. 9fd. ; the number of 
persons receiving out-door relief for the same period was 3,675, 
and the total of all classes relieved was 5,373. Oat of the poor- 
rate various sums of a miscellaneous nature are paid, and in 
order to illustrate the way in which our Union rate is distributed, 
we here put on record the amount of the 

EXPENDITURE OE THE CHELTENHAM UNION EOR THE YEAR ENDING 
MARCH 25, 1861. 





£ s. d. 


In-Maintenance 


2,168 6 7| 


Out-Relief 


7,391 6 6 


Pauper Lunatics at the County Lunatic and 


other Asylums 


1,548 5 5 


Extra Medical Fee 


152 13 6 


Common Charges 


1,800 15 11} 


Ditto Irremovable Paupers ... 


2,841 5 7i 


Ditto Wanderers and Wayfarers 


54 10 2 


Kepayment of Workouse Loans 


281 16 11 


Interest on Ditto 


53 12 8 


.Registration Pees 


124 18 6 


County Rates, Police, &c , 


3,374 4 8 


Collectors' Salaries ... 


481 11 10 


Sanitary Expenses 


6 4 


Premiums of Apprenticeship 


11 


Puneral Expenses 


26 7 


Other Expenses 


116 




£20,313 12 9J 



The average weekly cost per head for the in-door paupers is 
3s. lid. f for food, and 2^d. for clothing. The average for the 



THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 243 

year of the in-door relief list for the Union is 1,296 adults and 
402 children. The only item in the list of expenditure that has 
materially increased, and over which we can of course have no 
control, is for the maintenance of the unfortunate lunatic. In 
common with the rest of England, this Union has had this 
charge to meet on an increased ratio during the last fourteen 
years commencing in 1849, whilst the numbers have increased 
threefold . 

It is worthy of remark, and the fact strikingly proves the 
prosperous condition of the town, that although, as shown by 
the last census returns, Cheltenham increases 500 annually in 
population, yet, pauperism has decreased. In 1849, when the 
number of inhabitants was about 6,000 less than at present, 
9,669 persons were receiving relief, whilst in 1861, with the 
increased population, only 5,373 had been relieved — nearly one- 
half less in number. 

The cost for in-door maintenance of those directly connected 
with the parish is £1,800 8s. 2d., and for those receiving out- 
door relief £6,078 12s. 2|d. In 1860, the maintenance of 
lunatics cost £1,269 2s. 9d., and in 1861, £1,243 13s. Id., 
and for the Union £1,458 5s. 5d. The county rate for police, 
&c. chargeable to the parish, is £2,666 13s. 4d., and to the 
entire Union £3,374 4s. 8d. The salaries of officers and com- 
mon charges for the parish is £3,461 9s. 0d., and for the 
Union £4,696 lis. 6fd. 

Out of the poor-rate of 1861, the sum of £599 14s. lOd. has 
been paid towards the expense of concreting the floor of the 
Cheltenham Parish Church, and other sanitary purposes in con- 
nection therewith, in accordance with an order of the Privy 
Council. This item is one, among others, which occurs in the 
Overseers' accounts, and although levied upon the rate, is not a 
payment made by the Guardians. 

From incidental allusions, it appears that stocking-knitting 
and malting were the only known trades down to the close of 
the eighteenth century. In 1712, says Atkins, " Cheltenham is 
a town considerably engaged in the malt trade. " And Martin, 
who in 1759, published a Natural History of England, describes 
the town as " having a good trade in malt." Various other 
trades were afterwards established here by the aid of the paro* 
chial officers. Their plan was, to engage with certain persons, 



244 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

to teach the inmates of the workhouse how to manufacture 
various articles, and thus the inhabitants had an opportunity of 
relieving themselves from the burden of poor-rates, a ad assisting 
in making Cheltenham a mercantile town. 

The malting trade formerly carried on in the town was evi- 
dently considerable, both from the allusions which is made to it 
in history, and from the number of buildings or " malt houses'* 
which was known to have existed here.* The traffic in corn 
required a public and convenient place for the parishioners to 
assemble in, and this want was supplied at the expense and 
through the benevolence of a resident. The account of this 
building will unfold to us the commercial and social condition of 
the place in the middle of the seventeenth century. 

In the centre of the road between the original "Plough" as 
represented in page 263, and the equally ancient " Crown,'" 
stood the com and wool market, which was taken down in 1786, 
and the materials sold for £64 10s. under powers of the first 
Commissioners' Act, when, at the same time, the Chelt that flowed 
by it was diverted into its main course The erection of this 
market was effected by a sum of money bequeathed by a former 
master of Pates* Grammar School. This benevolent individual, 
who lies interred in the south aisle of the Parish Church, was 
the Rev. Christopher Bailey, M.A., who died in 1654, after 
having honourably filled the office of master for thirty-two years. 
The particulars of this bequesc are contained in an entry m the 
Court Rolls at the Cheltenham Manor Office, of which the fol- 
lowing is a verbatim copy: — 

9 October 1654. 

To the right worshipful John Dutton, Esq., lord of the libtie, 
hundred, manner, and market of Cheltenham, in ye county of 
Gloucester. 

The humble petition of Nicholas Ashmead, and Edward 
Johnson, executors of the last will and testament of Christopher 



* The old rate books show that a fourth part of the town was malt houses. It 
was a local custom to rate to the poor all out-houses andstablts besides dwelling- 
houses. As proof that the trade was a lucrative one, is the fact that Giles Cox. who 
founded one of our local charities in 1727, which is still in operation, is 
described in his will as churchwarden and maltster, and as having Cl obtained 
his substance thereby," 



THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 245 

Bayley, Schoolmaster of the Free Schoole in Cheltenham, afore- 
said, deceased. 

Whereby they humbly show that the said Christopher Bayley, 
out of his pious desire to advance the good of the town of 
Cheltenham, where he gained the greatest part of his estate, did 
by his last Will devise and appoint ffourescore pounds, to be 
employed by yo r petitioners, his Executors, for the erecting of a 
Market-house for sale of Come within the said Towne which 
yo r petitioners by the assistance of Almighty God, and your 
wor pps lycence, doe intend forthwith to build, with a convenient 
room over the same, for a woll market, and for keeping of the 
Court Leets, and other, yo r Wor pps Courts, with the s d maner, 
and for other publique uses of the Inhabitants of the said 
Towne. 

To r pet rs doe therefore humbly beseech yo r Wor pps to be pleased 
to give them lycense to erect and build a market- house in the 
said towne of Cheltenham, To the uses afores d , and to assigne 
them some convenient place within the said Towne, in, or neere 
the place where the old market house before it was taken downe 
did stand, and also to be pleased to give direction that yo r 
Wor pps favour in this behalf may be at the next Court to be held 
for the View of Frankpledge and Court of the said Manner of 
Cheltenham inrolled in the Eolls of the s d Court for a perpetuall 
record thereof And y r Pet rs shall pray &c. 

Upon the exhibiting of the Petition above s d The Lord of the 
said Manor ordered as followeth — 

I do hereby appoint Thomas Eoberts of Cheltenham, Gent, 
my Chiefe Bayliefe there, to set out and appoint a fit and con- 
venient place for the building a Market House as is desired to 
such uses as are above mentioned. And my Will's that this 
petition with this my answer be the next Courtered into the 
Bolls of the said Manner and made a record. 

John Dtjtton. 
22 Septembrisiebi. 

TheMorning Post of the dates 1725 and 1745 contains adver- 
tisements which refer to this old house of traffic. One of 
these appeared in May, 1725, as follows : — 

" Thomas Harvey, who served seven years 5 apprenticeship to 
a Yintner in London, and kept the George Inn, in Cheltenham, 



246 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

Gloucestershire, for these nine years last past, is now removed 
to a new, large, handsome and commodious Inn, of his own 
building, opposite the Market-house, in Cheltenham aforesaid, 
called the Swan, where all noblemen and others, who shall be 
pleased to use his house, shall be sure to meet with good enter- 
tainment and civil usage from their most obedient humble 
seiwant, Thomas Harvey. N.B. — He has a large commodious 
yard, with stables for upwards of sixty horses, stalled and bail'd ; 
and coach-houses answerable. Note also, — He continues the 
Coash Way from the Hill, through the grounds, to this Inn as 
usual." The Swan, alluded to in this advertisement, stood 
nearly opposite to the Plough, at the corner of Winchcomb- street, 
and the premises are now occupied by Mr. D. Gibbon, chemist. 

This ancient market was doubtless the most public place in 
the town, and was the scene of many a rural gathering. It is 
often incidentally alluded to in connection with the mention of 
events which illustrate the village characteristics of the place. 
It was in this building that the indefatigable founder of the now 
influential body of Wesleyan Methodists preached his first 
sermon in Cheltenham. John Wesley's visit was on August 
4th, 1744, and in his " Journal" he says, "Here I addressed 
one of the largest audiences that ever assembled there." 

This market is thus noticed in an advertisement in 1745— 
" To be let and entered upon immediately, or at any time be- 
tween this and Michaelmas — The Crown Inn now kept by Josias 
Cooke, opposite the Corn Market House at Cheltenham. An 
hundred horses may be taken in at a fair." 

To this structure the old inhabitant brought his produce and 
found a purchaser. And such appears then to have been the 
principal profession followed. It was an agricultural town, and 
manifested all the quietude of country life. The men were 
occupied in tillage and preparing for future crops, while the 
dame and her daughters manufactured stockings, and about the 
quality of which history speaks in terms of praise. Such was 
ec Cheltenham in ye olden tyme." 

The poverty and obscurity of the borough, except at short 
intervals, from the Commonwealth down to the dawn of the 
eighteenth century, is strikingly apparent in all local documents 
of that period. But the dark gloom of the past becomes dis- 
pelled by an event which, when viewed in its great results, has 



THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 247 

perhaps no parallel in any local history. We allude to the first 
discovery of the Spa Waters. That remarkable incident paved 
the way for placing Cheltenham in the sunshine of prosperity, 
and causing it to be known throughout the civilized world. 
From this interesting epoch, it has been gradually progressing 
in population, fame, and stability, as the next and following 
chapters will fully demonstrate. 
We have been reviewing the period 

When Chelt's bright streamlet, glistening in the sun, 

Adown its only street was wont to run, 

And stranger doves, from far, on weary wing, 

Sought the loved waters of their favourite spring. 

How altered now ! farewell, thou fabled stream, 

For thy existence is but as a dream ! — 

Farewell the ancient fisher wont to ply 

Thy sport-fraught waters with the fatal fly,— 

Farewell the lily and the rushy sedge 

That erst adorned thy once so verdant edge, — 

Farewell the sunny meadows, and the trees 

That whispered softly on the Vesper breeze j— 

No more the happy cottagers are seen 

Disporting, as of yore, upon the green ; 

No more the echo wakes each joyous tone — 

Ooid are the hearths — the merry voices gone ! 

And yet, why mourn them P fcr in Time's great race, 

My native town has gained the proudest place, 

Kings have proclaimed her, thronging 'round her throne, 

Queen of a beauteous empire, all her own ; 

And wandering pilgrims rapturously rove 

In silent wonder through each fragrant grove. 

Cheltenham has now higher claims for public patronage than 
that of a commercial town. It cannot boast of extensive manu- 
factories of art, with modern application of scientific discoveries, 
but it can prove its title to the possession of a natural manufac- 
tory, hourly at work in producing those wonderful Mineral 
Waters, which have scattered the blessings of health among 
millions of suffering invalids for upwards of a century. " It 
has been said, but I do not admit it, that we have no manufac- 
tories in Cheltenham. I admit, the manufactories we deal in 
are not transportable, but I strongly contend that Providence 
has blessed us with means for the manufacture of that which is 
most essential to mankind. The salubrious springs, the mild 
air, the shelter from the northern blast afforded by the CottsvVold 
hills, render it a place particularly adapted to supply health to 



248 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the invalid, peace and quiet to the old, and amusement to the 
gay and youthful. These are the manufactories of Cheltenham ; 
and I am happy to say that they cannot be conveyed from her. 
To be enjoyed persons must come to them, because they cannot 
be found in the same degree in any other place. It is ihe posi- 
tion of the place which, under Providence, has raised Cheltenham 
from the insignificant village it once was to the proud position it 
now holds." (Speech of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, 
Earl Fitzhardinge, at the public meeting at the Assembly Eooms, 
in 1850, upon introducing the Rev F. Close as the mover of a 
resolution in favour of a town subscription in, aid of the Great 
Exhibition in Hyde-park). 



CHAPTER XV. 

@ri)t ®oton at t!)e IHgcobwa of tfte ifffline'ral Waters. 

On the spot now known as the Royal Old Wells, a spring of 
saline water discharged itself, which in its course left deposi- 
tions of a salt character. The quantity of saline matter thus 
scattered upon the ground attracted occasional flocks of pigeons. 
This circumstance was at length noticed by some of the inha- 
bitants, who occasionally drank of the spring, but the matter 
occasioned no surprise beyond the immediate locality. The 
period toVhich we are now alluding is the year 1716, and in 
order to perpetuate the alleged discovery of the waters by the 
pigeons, two carved representations of these birds are placed on 
.the entrance pillars to the Old Well Walk. It is a striking fact 
that the inhabitants of Cheltenham should not have appreciated 
these health-restoring waters for so many years after they were 
first known. They flowed from their " well head" unnoticed, 
and it was not until their properties were examined by eminent 
medical men, and the result of their analysis published, that 
they were used by invalids, 



THS DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 249 

We purpose to put on record copies of local documents that 
will unfold the state of the town when the mineral waters were 
first discovered. From these authentic sources we shall be en- 
abled to form correct data for deciding the history of " old 
Cheltenham — at the time 

" "When it could only claim 
More than the passing mention of its name, 
When it, a humble hamlet in the dale, 
Nor 'pointed moral, nor adorned a tale/ 
When Chelt's hright streamlet glistening in the sun, 
Adown its only street, was wont to run." 

We give several illustrations that will help to elucidate the 
period now under review, taken from original drawings. 

The first discovery of the mineral waters was an event as im- 
portant to the future interest of Cheltenham, as the discovery of 
gold was to the future progress of Australia. The medicinal 
treasure was in existence, but it was but little known, and wanted 
to be appreciated. It required a " local habitation and a name" 
to give it a start in the fashionable world. It wanted " the 
right man in the right place" to do this great work. Providence, 
by a singular train of events, brought such a man to the town. 
This was Captain Henry Skillicorne, the architect of his own 
fortune, and honourably distinguished as one of the society of 
" Merchant Adventurers." The ground upon which the Old 
Well stands, devolved to him by heirship, and upon taking pos- 
session of his new estate, he immediately set about improving 
it. By this act he laid the foundation of Cheltenham's future 
greatness, and we proudly class Capt. Skillicorne amongst the 
greatest of our local benefactors. He lies interred in the parish 
church, and the extraordinary improvements which he effected 
are perpetuated on a monument erected to his memory within 
the edifice. 

Captain Skillicorne was no ordinary man. He entered in a 
clear legible hand the every-day transactions of his life. This 
manuscript folio journal is now in possession of his lineal 
descendant, W. N. Skillicorne, Esq.> J.P., (to whom his valuable 
property devolved), and it affords the only correct data upon 
which we can arrive at the first establishment of the original 
Spa. It is our privilege to be enabled to publish the following 
extracts from this MSS. : — " In the winter of 1739, I made the 



250 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



upper walk, planted elms and lime to the number of 37, and 
made a new orchard adjoining. The winter 1740 I made the 
lower walk, planted 96 elms, at the expense of £56. Had that 
summer 414 subscribers at the Wells at 1 2d. per piece. Built 
a yard round it, and 18 little houses. The summer 1 740 proving 
very dry, I had 46 of the trees dead ; set 44 in the room of the 
46 died the summer before, and had that summer 674 sub- 
scribers at the Wells at 12d. per piece. The summer 1741, 
proving very dry, 30 trees died, and a great part of quick-set 
hedge planted by the walk, and several other sorts set, as elms, 
ashe, sally, and crabsticks, sets, and withy and pollards set 
about Ashmead and other parts of the estate died, which I 
planted again. 1742, built another room two storys high; this 
year had but one tree dead, which I have planted. Had this 
season 667 subscribers. In the year 1743, 644 subscribers ; 
1744, 502; 1745,500; 1746,510; 1747,451; 1748,655; 
1749, 643." 

In the formation of the grand walk at the Old Wells, Captain 
Skillicorne was aided by the following contributions, which are 
entered in his journal under date 1739 : — 

£ s. d. 

Mr. Tibbitt 110 

Jesus College, Oxford 2 2 

Mr. Cobb, Gent 110 

Mr. Gardner, baker 10 6 

Edw. Timbrel (churchwarden) 5 

Edw. Slatter 2 6 

John Pope (Plough) 5 

Walt. Ireland 7 

John Hayes 5 

Barth. Edwards 5 

Mr. Pruen 5 

Hon. Sir J. Dutton, bart. ... 5 5 

Rev. Francis Welles 1 1 

Thos. Holder 110 

RoltCox,Jun 110 

Mr. Stratford, Mr. E Gale, 
and Mr. Sandford. four 
teams, with Mr. Ailway... 14 
Wm. Wills, his team day ...0 6 
Widow Mills team day ... 6 

Tho. Clark team day 6 

Mr. Stratford team day ...0 6 

An experimental trial as to the quantity of water in the well 
is thus recorded to have been made in the presence of some 





£ s. 


d. 


Rev. G. Stokes ... 


1 1 





Rev. Mr. Longford 


1 1 





Rev. Mr. Mace 


1 1 


6 


Rev. Mr. Prinn 


1 1 





Rev. Mr. Meyrick (Rector) . 


1 1 





Rev, Dr. Peerdt 


1 1 





Rev. Mr. Jones 


10 





Madam Dormer 


2 2 





Robt. Cox 


1 1 





J. Trevanian, Gent 


10 


6 


Wm Norwood, Esq 


1 1 





Walter Smith, barber. (Fleece] 


10 


6 


Mr. Surman, barber 


10 


6 


Mr. Jones, sadler and church 






warden 


10 


6 


Mr. Lattimer 


10 


6 


Ezra Wells 


5 





Mr. Ovenhall 


5 





Mr. Shuller 


5 





Widow Surman 


5 





Mr. Benfield's clerk 


2 


6 


Mr. Jones of Teuxbury 


10 


6 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 251 

distinguished persons: — " 1762, June 23. Memorandum this 
23rd of June, 1762, being a very dry season, I made a second 
tryall on ye Spaw to see if it produced less water then it did the 
6th day of Jany last, when it was very wett weather, and found 
it to produce 1 8 quarts, beer measure, which is rather more 
than 5 gallons, or 20 quarts beer measure it produced ye 6th 
Jany last in wett weather. Present at this tryall, Sir Thomas 
Stanhope ;• Phillip Sharpe, Esq,, Clark of the Privy Council ; 
Thos. Bliss, Apothecary, all of London ; and Rev. Mr. Speed, 
of Bridgewater." 

Manuscripts of the date 1749 and 1763, give the following 
account of the first discovery of the mineral properties of the 
waters : — "This water owes its discovery to a slow spring being 
observed to ooze from a strong, thick, bluish clay or marie, under 
the soil, which, after spreading itself a few yards upon the 
surface, disappeared, leaving much, of its salts behind ; to feed 
on which, flocks of pigeons daily coming, induced Mr. Mason, 
the then proprietor of the ground, to take more particular notice 
of it, when it was further remarked, that in hard frosty weather, 
when other springs were fast bound, this alone continued in its 
fluid state. Upon trial, it was found to be cathartic. Others 
again say, that the virtues of this water were first shown on a 
horse which grazed there, who, by drinking at this place, and 
rolling himself in the grass where the spring oozed out, was 
cured of a violent humour, and other disorders he laboured 
under. The ground was originally the property of Mr. Higgs, 
of Charlton Kings, but not knowing of a medicinal spring being 
on the spot, he sold it, with the adjoining lands, in 1716, to Mr. 
Mason, who discovered the spring, which for some time after its 
discovery was open, and the people of the town and neighbour- 
hood drank of it. In the year 1718, it was railed in, locked 
up, and a little shed thrown over it ; and in consequence of 
some experiments made on the water by Dr. Baird, of Worcester, 
and Dr. Grevil, of Gloucester, its virtues became more generally 
known, and it was sold medically till the year 1721, when leased 
to Mr. Spencer at £61 per annum. After the decease of Mr. 
Mason, his son-in-law, Captain Henry Shillicorne, becoming 
proprietor of the spring and premises in right of his wife, the 
daughter of Mr. Mason, in the summer of 1738, not only built 
the old room on the west side for the drinkers, with other 



252 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

necessary conveniences, but secured the spring from all extraneous 
matter, erected a square brick building on four arches, as a 
dome over it, with a pump on the east side, rising in the form 
of an obelisk." 

The Spa was taken on lease by a Mr. Thomas Hughes, who 
seems to have sent the water in large quantities to different parts 
of the country, where he had appointed agents. The idea of 
personal drinking and musical promenading at the* establish- 
ment would, at that period, if it had been proposed, been 
considered Utopian. It will tend to illustrate the state of the 
times if we here record the following resolution, passed at a 
vesiry meeting, which exempted the future Eoyal Spa from 
paying the poor-rate :— 

At a Vestry Meeting holden the 11th day of Octoher, 1753, it was agreed hy us 
whose names are underwritten, (being the major part of Ihe said Vestry), that the 
appeal of Thorns Hughes, of the Tything of Allstone, in this parish, touching 
the inequality of the Poor-rates with respect to the said Thomas Hughes, for his 
Spring, or Well of Mineral Water, he not opposed. 

We, the said major part of the Vestry, being willing and desirous that the said 
Spring, or Well of Water, be not rated or taxed to the relief of the poor. 

Edwd. Timbkell, Churchwarden, 
Thos. Harvey, Overseer. 

The allusion to the -tything of Allstone shows the rapid 
increase of buildings since that time. The original well was 

situate in that ancient tyth- 
ing or hamlet, which main- 
tained its distinctness until 
modern enactments united 
it with this parish. 

The brook which formed 
the parochial boundary 
flowed by the rear of Pro- 
menade-terrace, was open, 
and presented a most rustic 
^3fe£ '1§S|5 HHPI* appearance. The commu- 

nication was r made by means 
of a bridge of very humble pretensions, which we have sketched 
as it stood in 1821. It was long called "Jemmy Wood's 
bridge," from some legendary association with the rich banker's 
family, who owned the upper part of the town known as Sandford. 




THE DISCOVEEY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 253 

The New Road by St. Luke's Church is called after Sir 
Matthew Wood, one of the branches. 

From the above documents it appears that the first analysis of 
the waters was made in 1721, by Drs. Greville and Baird, and 
from that time to the present, they have been examined by 
nearly all the celebrated medical men in Europe. The result of 
their united investigations has clearly proved that these waters 
are composed of muriate of soda, sulphates of soda, lime and 
magnesia, oxide of iron, chloride of magnesium, and iodine and 
bromine. These various properties are solely referable to the 
geological character of the locality. The clay beds are inter- 
sected with a great abundance of iron pyrites, or to speak in 
more familiar language, sulphur and iron, besides magnesian 
lime stones, and other saline matters. The springs, which at a 
great depth are only sea salt in solution, in forcing themselves 
to the surface come in contact with the matters we have been 
noticing, and decomposition ensuing, their properties are 
imbibed, and the far-famed Cheltenham waters thereby formed. 

The true origin and source of these far-famed waters are very 
clearly described by Sir E. Murchison, E.G.S., in his " Geology 
of Cheltenham." Waters possessing the same mineral properties 
as our own, occur in the vicinity w T herever the red stratas of 
red-sandstone (the depository of sea salt) and lias make their 
appearance. In consequence of the non-fashionable character 
of the places where the waters have been traced, all attempts to 
establish spas have failed. 

The saline springs extend in every direction round the town, 
as may be seen by following the geological map ; for besides 
those in Cheltenham itself, the following were examined by Dr. 
Jameson, who found the precipitations to correspond, in a great 
measure, in all cases, Hyde spring, strongly recommended by 
Dr. Lindon, in his book on the Mineral Waters, published in 
1750. Cleeve spring, at Gotherington, near Woolstone, contains 
a large proportion of muriate of soda. Arle spring, scarcely a 
mile from the town, is described by Dr. Short as equal to that 
of Hyde, and a bitter aperient water. Stoke Orchard, four 
miles distant, between Elmstone Hardwick and Tredington, is a 
pure saline, as are also Allstone spring, at xillstone villa, near the 
Great Western Goods Station, and Gloucester spring, nine miles 
oil. iNaunton .barm spring, which was discovered fifty years 



254 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

ago, but producing salts too black for use, nine miles distant, 
north-west of Toddington. Walton spring, described by Dr. 
Johnstone as having a sulphrous smell, with impregnation of 
iron, between Aschureh and Tewkesbury ; and Barnwood spring, 
discovered in 1802, in digging blue clay, so hard as to require 
the use of gunpowder, two miles on this side of Gloucester ; 
on the London road through Cirencester, Charlton spring, 
at Charlton Kings. Dr, Shoit's " History of Mineral Waters" 
was published in 1740, previous to which the Old Well waters, 
as mentioned by him, had been analyzed in 1721 by Dr. 
Granville, of Gloucester, and Dr. Baird, of Worcester, and, 
according to the joint testimony of those gentlemen, they 
possess medicinal properties superior to any in the kingdom. In 
1803 appeared Dr. Jameson's excellent " Treatise on the 
Cheltenham Waters, 5 ' and which still continues to be quoted as 
paramount authority. Mr. Bell, the late eminent surgeon of 
Edinburgh, considered the waters and climate beneficial in 
pulmonary complaints, the latter in particular from the shelter 
of the Cotswold hills, being as mild as that of the coast of 
Devonshire. Dr. Gibney's most useful " Medical Guide to the 
Cheltenham Waters," has reached a second edition. Dr. 
M'Cabe's " Observations on the Cheltenham Waters" appeared 
in 1820. Dr. Thomas, in 1820, visited, in company with Mr, 
Erskine, surgeon to the 22nd regiment of foot, then at Cheltenham 
for the benefit of his health, upwards of thirty of the mineral 
springs, or wells, to ascertain by personal inspection, if they 
produced a supply adequate to the demand ; and if not, whether 
any, and what were the means artificially employed to supply 
the deficiency. The result was the most satisfactory, for, in his 
words, " there is abundance of water in those wells, prepared 
in nature's vast alembic, without the aid and concurrence of 
man. 

A spring of similar quality to Cheltenham was discovered, a 
few years since, on the Park estate : a pump room has been erected 
over it. Another has also been discovered at Charlton Kings. 

A knowledge of the medicinal virtues of the waters had begun 
to spread about 1738, as is evident from the following handbill, 
which was circulated by the then renter of the well, and 
two printed copies of which are preserved in the Skillicorne 
Journal: — 



THE DISCOVERS OF THE MIiNERAL WATERS. 255 

<: Cheltenham Spaw. 

" Whereas large quantities of Spurious Waters have for some 
Time beea sold, in divers Farts ot the kingdom, under the name, 
and some even under the counterfeited seal of the Cheltenham 
Spaw 5 In order therefore to prevent so gross an imposition upon 
the public, it is thought proper to advertise, That ihe genuine 
Spaw is sold only by Thomas Hughes, Keeper of the Weil, and 
by such persons as are undermentioned, whom he supplies with 
large quantities of the same ; viz. Mr. Thos. Davies, at his 
Water Warehouse in St. Albans Street, and Mr. Eyres, at 
Temple Bar, London; Mr. .Richard Leversage, in iN'amptwich, 
Cheshire; Mr. Peter Eilons, Druggist, and Mr. Bouker, .Draper, 
in Chester; Mr. T. Bateoyle, Apothecary, in Salop, Mr. .Randal 
Kaey, Grocer at Whitchurch, Shropshire; Mr. iNath. Maule in 
Oxiord ; Mr. T. Wakeman, in Worcester ; Mr. James Rumsey, 
Grocer, in St. Mary Ports St. Bristol; Mr. W. Allen in Bath; 
and Mr. Charlton, hatter, in Gloucester. 

" Note also that Kussell Langer of Worcester, Mr. John 
Purneli, in Peter St. Bristol, and Mr. Pat Broders in Berry St. 
London, do not sell the genuine water, having none from the 
real Spaw. And the proprietor of the Spaw doth hereby declare, 
that if any person or persons shall be discovered to sell any 
water under the name and seal of his Spaw, oesides those already 
named, he will prosecute them as far as the law shall direct. 
Notice is hereby given to the public, that neither the Water nor 
Salts, carried by John Gregory, the Tewke&bury Carrier, and 
John Baylis, the Cirencester Carrier, is the true Cheltenham 
Spaw Water or Salts ; the keeper of the Spaw being determined 
not to let them have or carry any more. And that any Gentle- 
man, that has any occasion for the true Cheltenham Water and 
Salts, may apply to Thomas Hughes who keeps the Spaw, who 
will take care to answer their orders." 

In the Morning Post is a letter thus curiously addressed : — • 

" To the Author, &c. 

" Cheltenham, Aug. 11, 1743, 

" Sir,— Publick Diversions in the Summer Season were never 
so universal through this Kingdom as they have been the three 



256 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

last years ; but the most useful meetings are generally esteemed 
to be at Bath, Scarborough, Tunbridge, and Cheltenham, in the 
county of Gloucester; at the last of which places a most 
Sovereign Calibat (chalybeate) Spring of Water, not understood 
till about 14 years ago, nor in high reputation above four years, 
having given within these few years such relief to the disorders 
of several thousands of the quality, gentry and others of this 
Island, the company has been larger this year than in any one 
before, having annually increased from the first discovery of the 
spring, and tis thought that Cheltenham will in a few years, 
from the great blessings attending the effect of the water, become 
one of the first Wells in reputation in Europe. As an instance 
of the increase in the number of quality and gentry at our 
Wells this season, we hereunder give you the names of some of 
the quality, amongst the number of above 600 persons of great 
fortunes and gentility who are at present here, viz., Their Graces 
the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, and Lady Mary Campbell ; 
Earl of Chesterfield, Lady Suffolk, Lady Caroline Lennox, Lord 
Hobart's daughter, Lord and Lady Westmorland, Lady Archi- 
bald Hamilton and her daughter, Lady Juxol, Sir William 
Codrington, Lady Codrington and her three daughters, Lord 
and Lady Tracy and their three daughters, Lord A. Hamilton, 
Sir Thomas Moslyn's Sisters, Mr. Berkeley, Knight of the Shire, 
Lady Stapleton, Lady Masell, Lord Shelburn, Lord Bulkley, 
Sir W. Young, his Lady and two daughters, Lord Chedworth, 
Sir Erancis Dashwood, Judge Eortescue and his lady, Sir Henry 
Slingsby, Lord Gage, Sir Eobert Austin and his lady, Sir 
Eobert Williams, Lord Say and Seal, General Peter Campbell, 
Lord and Lady Somerville and their daughters ; and the two 
Priors of Brecon and Thetford." 

The contents of this curious letter reveals the very rapid 
manner in which the fame of the mineral waters must have 
spread through Europe. The names mentioned include the 
most titled and fashionable families of that day, and they form 
the first account that we have been enabled to trace of 
" Arrivals" at modern Cheltenham. 

The following appeared in the Gloucester Journal for 1720, 
and at intervals in the London Press for several years after- 
wards : — 



THF DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 257 

Advertisement. 

" Whereas, the famous purging mineral waters at Cheltenham, 
in the county of Gloucester, have not been for some years last 
past, so much resorted to as formerly, from a report that the 
inhabitants of the said town were exorbitant in their demands, 
and no convenience to be had reasonably : By an unanimous 
meeting, consent, and agreement of the gentlemen, tradesmen, 
and innholders of the said town, This is to certify that all 
gentlemen, ladies, and others, may meet with kind reception and 
good usage, with convenient lodgings and ordinaries kept, if 
encouraged, at reasonable rates. 

c ' Note. — 'Tis a pleasant town, situate in a fine sand, and in a 
fine air ; and many persons of quality and distinction have been 
there, and received great benefit. The chief virtues are in 
rheumatism, sciatica, scurvey, stone and gravel, internal and 
external ulcers, and asthmas. 

" The season holds all the summer. 

" There is a good bowling green, and billiard tables for the 
gentlemen's diversions." 

The habits and customs of the inhabitants were those of 
rustic villagers, as is evidenced by the following advertisement, 
which appeared in the Gloucester Journal of August 11, 1741 : — 

n Notice is hereby given — that there will be a Cudgel Match 
opposite the Plough in Cheltenham, on Friday the 14th inst., 
(beginning half an hour after two, and ending at seven the same 
evening). He that breaks the most heads in three bouts, and 
comes off clear, to receive a good hat, and a guinea in money ; 
the second best player, hali-a -guinea; and every person whose 
head is broke, one shilling. Every player to enter himself at 
the Plough, aforesaid, by two in the afternoon. N.B. — Betwixt 
the hours of 10 and 2, there will be a gown jigged for by the 
girls." 

The practice of cudgels was kept up for some time after this 
date upon market and fair days. A stage was erected in front 
of the Bell, and the spectators were located on the Plough side 
of the High Street. 

During the same period bull-baiting with dogs is advertised. 
These exhibitions took place in the High Street, in front of the 



258 



HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 



present Arched Buildings. Even down to tht; establishment of 
the Cheltenham Chronicle, in 1809, cock-fighting, as appears 
from advertisements, was regarded as a fashionable amusement. 
The following is a copy of a handbill dated July 26, 1757, 
which announced one of these exhibitions : — 



cc A Cock Match by Subscription, To be fought in Cheltenham 
Street, by the Gentlemen of Gloucestershire ; to weigh on 
Saturday the 30th, and to fight the 1st of August. Any person 
or persons, that are willing to add to this Match, may send in 
their Cocks as above mentioned and may depend upon having 
particular care taken of them by Edward Sarsons, feeder. 
Gloucester. Printed by E. Eaikes, in the Black Eryars." 

The small number of inhabitants just prior to the first estab- 
lishment of the Eoyal Old Wells is apparent on reference to all 
the parochial records of that period- In order to elucidate this 
portion of our subject, we purpose to transcribe verbatim the 
entire contents of the Poor Rate Collector's book for 1727. 
This will be -the means not only of preserving a list of the 
inhabitants that were living just previous to the mineral waters 
becoming famous, but also of illustrating the small value of 
property in the town. " The Levy Book made for ye releife of 
ye Poore of Cheltenham Parish on the 18th of April, 1727." 
The name of the ratepayer and the amount contributed are placed 
together as in the original ; the first list is the charge upon the 
houses, of threepence, and the latter upon the unbuilt land, of 
fourpence in the pound. 



ve Ratepayer. s. D. 

Henry Wells 1 1 

Oba Arrowsmith 4 

Wm. Ellis 1 1J 

John Humphreys 2 2 

Sarah Key 1 8 

Widow Hooper 6 

William Brook 4 

Margery Ireland 1 

John Cox 7 

Tlios. Higgs 4 

Saml. Ellis 10 

Chas. Haynes 11 

Sarah Beckett 2 3 

Richard BayLffs (heires) 2 

William Strouds (heires) 2 



ye Ratepayer. s. D. 

Berg, Barnes 6 

John Tavlor 6 

Thos. Kear 1 8 

Widow Dance 10 

Wm. Rogers 4 

Edw. Church .0 4 

Richd. Mason 1 

Nath. Chester 2 4 

Thos. Nicholas, inn 2 

Mary Holder 3 

Richd. Cox 2 

Paul Crump 4 

Giles Webb 6 

Walt. Goodrich 5 

J oh u Rotter 3 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 



259 



ye Ratepayer. s. D. 

Mrs. French i 1 8 

Dr. Kean (heires) 6 

Jesse Bliss 4 

And for his sister Bettv 2 

Wm. Wood 7 8 

Giles Cox 1 

James Wood 2 9 

Walt. E#la-bere Z ". 7 4 

Mrs. Ireland 2 

JohnBallinsjer 5 

Thos. Pope "The Plough" ... 2 

Edward Mitchell 3 2 

Charles Perkins 1 4 

Richd. Coules 8 

Mrs. St. Leger 2 2 

TobySturmy 16 5£ 

Walter Mason 5 10 

Wm. St, Leger 6 

Walt. Long 2 

Mrs. Ashmead 4 2 

Sarah Teale 7 

Thos. Surman 3 

Mrs. Walters (heires) 1 4 

Sam Drinkwater 1 4 

JohnCook 1 6 

Edw. Wells (heires) 1 2 

Thos. Smith (signor) 10 

Thos. Smith (junr.) 6 

Hall Smith 1 3 

WidoA Finch 2 

Dan Chester 4 6 

Mr. Ludlows (heires) 5 11| 

Ethell Perks 1 6 

Giles Ashmead 1 2 

J. Mason (Old Wells) £117 

James Par.* on (heires) 4 

Isaac Morell 6 

Jacob Holder 1 4 

Thos. Beufield 10 

Mrs.Parkes 2 7 

Rich.Parkes 1 2 

Walter Cox 6 

James Beckett 2 5 

Dr. Smith 2 6 

J-iltn Mawk 2 11 

Thos. Leach 6 

Ezra Wells 1 4 

Wm. Holder 6 

Mrs. Stevens 1 1 

Dan Cook "Crown" 1 4 

Wm.Cook 6 

John Humphreys (signor) 10 

Barth. Edwards 5 



ye Ratepayer. s. 

John Robbius 

Mrs. Packer 6 

Widow Mills 

T.ios. Wells 1 

Ricd. Teale 1 

James Nicholas (heires) 1 

JohuSkey 

Edward Timbrell 

Hester Macock 

Widow Hurst 

Widow Jefferies 

Isaac Cole 

Adam Wills 1 

Walt, Mathews 

Thos. Clark 1 

Clerk* "heires 2 

John Wills 1 

James Carpenter 

Widow Newman 

John Hamline 

James Hill 

Edw. Arktll 

John Oakey 

Joseph Bliss's heires 

Richard Robins 1 

Riehd. White '. 

Wilim. Slatter 

Sam Cook (signor) 

Sam Couk (juu.) 1 

Israel Slatter 

T. Nicholas (signor) 3 

And for Church Mead 

A. Chester (signor) 1 

Wm. Chester 1 

Widow Elisse 2 

Walter Ireland 2 

Ricd. Blisse 1 

Widow Forty's heires 

Job Smith 

Franc Spencer 

Giles Head 

Edw. Nicholas 1 

Giles Cox 14 

Robt. Ell.sse 7 

Robt. Cox 5 

And for the Moors 2 

Eleanor Keramitc 1 

WiJow Milton 1 

Wm. Ballinger 

W. Mills 

John Chester 9 

Autho. Chester, jun 

Widow Ashrnead's heires 



D. 



¥ 





4 

4 

4 

8 

2 

5 

7 

6 
101 



8 

8 
11 

6 

4 



11 

2 
6 

H 

n 

6 
11 

1* 

6 

1 

10 
10 

11 

8 

10 
5* 
2 
6 
7^ 

4 
6 



260 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 



ye Ratepayer. s. D. 

William Meakius 1 

John Sturray 10 

Wm. Hyett 7 

Bar. Hyett 1 

Hi chd. Gregory 6 

Thos. Oakey 4 

Nichl. Ashmead 1 4 

Thos. White 5 6 

Thos. Shewell 4 

John Hyett, jun 4 6^ 

John Hyett, signor 6 

Neighhour Ashraead's widow... 4 



ye Ratepayer. s. D. 

Wm. Page 5 

John Ashmead 1 4 

John Page 8 

Wm. Hill 2 8 

Christ. Mayer 3 

Thos. Giles 3 

Wm. Milton (Lamb) ft 1 4 

Widow Dawson 6 

Wm. Lyes 2 

Alice Roper 4 

Charles Finch 1 

Saml. Surman 1 4 



Amount of Lands belonging to ye Town. 



ye Ratepayer. S. D. 

Kinner De-La-Bere, Esq 8 

Wm. Bapgott 6 4 

Pra. Wells 8 

Edw. Goodrich 3 

Edw. Pemberton's heires 7 

Edw. Welch 1 4 

John Prinn, Esq 3 % 



ye Ratepayer. 

Saml. Whithome 1 

Thos. Higgs 

John Gregory 

Richd. Hooper 2 

Thos. Buckle 

Widow White's tenant 

Mrs. Parker 



s. D. 
6 



Prom this document it would appear that in 1727, there were 
158 heads of iamilies in the town who were rated to the poor. 
Besides these there were a few tenants whose names do not 
transpire, as it was then the custom for the landlord to pay the 
Poor Eate, and accordingly the entry runs " and for his tenant." 
Atkyns, who visited the place in 1712, mentions 250 places in 
the town rated, but this included malt houses and outbuildings. 
From the number of " untenanted " entries in a subsequent rate 
book we must infer that the population of the town was on the 
decrease at this time, which was four years prior to the first 
discovery of the Spa Waters. We have seen that in 1727, there 
were 158 heads of families, and in order to show the increase 
that has since taken place, we may mention that in 186 L, when 
the census was taken, there were 9,320 heads of families, and 
7,236 houses liable to berated, besides 39 in course of erection ! 
The Poor Eate Book for 1763, which is thirty six years later 
than the last quoted, shows a sign of a slight increase in the 
number of inhabitants. The Eate Book of the intermediate 
period 1741, manifests no alteration. At the first mentioned 
date 490 properties are rated to the poor, which comprise 300 
dwelling houses, and 190 malt houses, stables, outbuildings, and 



THE DISCOVERY OP THE MINERAL WATERS. 261 

farm lands. 24 houses out of the number are entered as 
"untenanted," and the occupants of 5 houses are excused as 
"very poor." We make a few extracts to shew the value of 
property at that time : — 

,c An assessment for the necessary relief of the poor, and for 
other purposes in the several Acts of Parliament, mentioned 
relateing to the poor for the parish of Cheltenham, made and 
assessed the ninth day of December, 1763, being the third rate 
since Easter last, at fourpence in the pound, on lands, and three 
pence on houses. 

YEARLY RENTS. OCCUPIERS' NAME. ASSESSMENT 

£ s. d, £ S . d. 

2 0... Giles Ashmead lor his Casting Houses and Gardens... 6 
18 O...Mr. De-La- Bere for his House (now Royal Hotel) ... 4 6 

3 0... Ditto for the Old Park (now Suffolk road and St. 

James's square) ... ... ... ... ... 1 

18 18 0... Richard Peachey fjr the Tolls of the parish 6 3£ 

18 0... Thomas Davies lor the Crown Inn 4 6 

2 0...Dr. Iremonger for his stable 6 

45 0. .. John Nickell for the George Inn and Lands belonging 12 1 

6 0... Samuel Showell for the Bolt Ale House 16 

6 0. ..Widow Page for house and lauds belongingdown Street 2 
20 0...Mrs. Hyetr, the Coffee House and adjoining House 

untenanted (site of Pittville street) 

16 0. .. Thomas Meekings for his house (uow Lance's, draper) 4 

2 0... Giles Mathews for his hoase (now Dunn's, draper) ... 6 

3 0... William Barrett for a Malt House he rents 9 

17 0...Dr. Smart for his house 4 3 

7 7 0... Richard Peachey for the Greyhound, North street ... 1 10 

8 0. ..John Gregory for the Right Bells Ale House ... 2 

4 4 0...W. Norwoon, Esq. for the house he live-, in (descen- 

dant of a Lord of tne Manor) 1 0| 

9 G... Miss Spikes for her house 2 3 

2 0...Danl. Forty for his house 6 

11 0. ..Mr. Chester for the Free Grammar School House ... 2 9 

23 0...Robt, Jesseit fir the Eieece Inn 5 11 

2 10 0... Samuel Km, for the Brick Kilns 10 

5 0... Thomas Pruen tor his*house ... ... ... ... 1 3 

5 0. ..John Pointer for the nouse he lives in ... ... 1 3 

1 10 0...John Stroud for the house he lives in ... ... 4^ 

3 10 0... Thomas riaselton for his house 10£ 

1 4 0... John Preston for tii t* house he is in ... ... ... 3 

10 0... The Workhouse 3 

1 10 0...Saml. Higgs for his house 6 

1 9 0... Harry Stone for the ho ube he lives in 4^ 

26 0... Rev. Mr. Chester for his lands 8 8 

30 0...Mr. Nettleship for his house (Hobbs's Birmingham 

house) 7 6 



£ ■'. 


d. 


I 





11 


6 


1 


3 


2 10 


6 


3 


8 





3^ 


1 


if 





4 


3 10J 


15 





2 





4 


6| 


2 


2 


5 





] 








1 


2 





1 


o* 



262 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

YEARLY RENTS. OCCUPIERS' NAMES. 

£ s. d. 

4 O^.Bevil Blizard for the house he lives in 
46 0... Thomas Pope for the Plough Inn ... 

5 0-.. Thomas Jordan for the house he lives in 
151 10 0... William Bury for the Tythes (Lay Rector) 

14 0...J°hn Humphris for his house and mills (Barratt's) ... 

1 4 0...Danl. Belcher for a house ... 

4 10 0... John Pott r for his house 

1 0... William Benfield for land he rents of Mr. Prinn 

15 10 0...Thos. Stone for the house he lives in... 

The outside of the Town. 

60 0...Mrs.Pield for the Great House (Clarence Hotel) ... 

6 0... Prank Ballinger for the Church Mead (Crescent) ... 
13 13 0...John Hathawav, jun., for the Poor's Grounds 

6 10 0. .. John Bastinf'or tythes ... 

20 0. .. James Arkell for Sandford Mills 

3 0... Mr. Prinn for land he rents of Lord Essex 

5 O...Edvvd. Ireland, sen., for land 

9 10 0.. Arthur Spencer for his house and homestead (The 

Knapp) 

4 4 0... William Cook for the Ale House at Allstone 

2 0. . .Miss Staphton, the Cold Bath, void ... ... 

The third rate for the year since Easter last for the Relief of the Poor of the 
Parish of Cheltenham, made the 9th December hy us whose names are under- 
written, 1763. 

J. Ranspord ") 

Charles Hathaway > Overseers of the Poor. 

X The mark oe Edmd. Dance) 

KT } Churchwardens 

We two of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the County of 
Gloucester, one whereof is of the Quorum, do consent to allow of this Assessment, 
Witness our hands this 10th day of Deer., 1763. 

W. Baghot De la Bere 
William Prinn. 

To form a correct idea of the former state of the town at 
this period we must refer to authentic plans and records. We 
compare Ogliby's "Dalrym pie's" and the enclosure maps with the 
rate books, and we arrive at correct data respecting the buildings 
in existence and occupied at the early part of the eighteenth 
century. Taking the maps for our guide we enter Cheltenham, at 
the Charlton end, at a spot marked as " Gallows Oak Turnpike," 
and by a its side a fine spreading tree is represented with the 
designation " Gallows Oak." Passing onwards towards the 
venerable spire of St. Mary's, which guides us from the 
distance, we meet with a few irregularly built bouses, straggling 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 



263 



without any view to connection. The mill at Cambray 
stands isolated, and the nearest neighbour is LordCapePs " man 
that fartnes his tythes," who resides in all that remains of the 
once Saxon Priory at Cambray Meadow. Nearly opposite stands 
the old domain of the Saunder's family, which we have here 
sketched in order to preserve to future generations. 




Tluve ancient Inns appear clustered in a short space — the 
Plough, the Swan and the Crown. In the midst of these 




in the open road, stands a market supported on massive 
stone pillars. Not far from this place of traffic, on the north 
side, a large antique building is prominent, with a chapel 
attached, where a pendant bell indicates that the solemn rites 
of religiouvS worship are celebrated within its hallowed walls. A 
greensward ornaments the front, and following the path upwards 



264 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 



to the doorway on a sunken tablet of stone we read this inscription, 
"Alms Houses of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, founded 
by Eichard Pates, A.D., 1578." The Inns of the George 
and Lamb we meet with in our journey onward, and a few 
more scattered dwellings and a malt house in Coffee House 
Yard. Up a narrow passage adjoining the last named place 
we can discern in the distance the small old English Presby- 
terian Meeting House. Still further on, a few stray thatched 
cottages are passed, and another Market House, ruder and 
smaller in appearance than the upper one, presents itself. 
In its rear is a round building of stone with an iron grating for 
a window, and within this " stone cage" there is a man in 
durance vile. A painted board over the doorway, has upon it 
the words "Blind House," and on the walls are rudely carved 
the words, " Do well and fear not." The church stile next meets 
our eve, and from it we can behold the noble and imposing 
structure of the Parish Church, and the antique Church House 
on the boundary of the grave yard. Still walking onward, past 
a few isolated homesteads we can discern amidst a thick cluster 
of trees, " The Great House," and its rural approaches over the 
old bridge. We have now reached the long and substantial 
range of stone buildings which bespeak the Elizabethian age; 
and over the door way of which is hewn out of the stone in rude 
letters, " Schola Grammatical' 




Passing under the pendant sign of the " Fleece," we wend our 
way to the left and observe, not far from each other, two old and 
retired places of worship, — " The Friends Meeting House," and 
" Old Bethel Chapel." On our right the Marsh, with its horrid 



THE DISCOVERY OP THE MINERAL WATERS. 



265 



and ghastly gibbet posts looks sad and desolate ; and in the 
distance the wide spreading branches of Maud's Elm wave 
aloft in the air as if to triumph over the remains of injured 
innocence. We have been journeying through a village, where 
the dwellings have been adapted to meet the comfort of the 
inmates, and not to attract the eye of the visitor. We have 
seen nothing to indicate the design of a regular street. Through 
the centre of the highway, on either side of which the houses 
stood, a stream branching from the Chelt, by Cambray Mill, held 
on its rippling course, refreshing as it went, and cooling the air 
above it in the summertime, whilst it ministered at once to the 
cleanliness and comfort of the inhabitants. At intervals a 
passage, from one side of the street to the other, was afforded 
by stepping stones. Not far from the Old Market House, a 
large tree partly overhung the stream, and in no slight degree 
heightened the rustic beauty of the scene We passed through 
the Church Mead, and ascending Bays 5 Hill, we viewed 
Cheltenham as represented in the accompanying sketch. 




" Oh. in that day thou beauteous wert, for all 

Was simple ; then not thine the grand hotels — 

Thy glory now ! nor lofty pillar'd hall, 
Nor high-arch'd dome ; yet oh, thou had'st thy dells, 

Where violets lurk'd." — Byrne. 

" There is in this town an individual who remembers the violets growing, and 
the horses grazing in the High Street. — Oheltenham " Free Press" 1834. 

The first Cheltenham Guide was published in London, in 
1781. It is a very detailed work for the time, and forms a 
valuable standard of reference. It was entitled, " The Chelt- 



266 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

enham Guide, or, useful Companion, in a journey of health and 
pleasure to the Cheltenham Spa." In order to illustrate the 
state of the town at the period of its issue, we shall publish a 
few extracts from a copy in our possession, which was purchased 
at the sale of the library of his late Koyal Highness the Duke 
of Sussex. 

" The public breakfasting is at the Long Eoom every Monday 
morning at 10 a.m., during the season; each person pays one 
shilling. The balls begin at 8 in the evening, and country 
dances close them at 11 ; they are constantly kept from Mid- 
summer to Michaelmas. Each person who drinks tea, or a dish 
of chocolate, pays sixpence; ladies who dance excepted, the 
gentlemen, their partners, paying for them." 

" The London Post to Cheltenham goes out Monday evening 
at 10, Wednesday at 12 at noon, and Saturday evening at 10, 
and comes in on Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings." 

tc At present the street is greatly encumbered with certain old 
coarse buildings supported on stone pillars ; these are called the 
Corn Market and Butter Cross, and another below them neither 
has nor merits a name. It is to be hoped that objects so very 
unsightly will soon be removed." 

" A stage coach holding six, and a diligence, carrying three 
passengers, set out every evening at 6, Sundays excepted. The 
coach goes from the Bolt and Tun, Fleet-street, London, and 
the diligence from the Swan with two Necks, in Lad-lane, and 
proceed to Gloucester. The coach fare is a guinea, and that of 
the diligence, one pound four shillings ; they stop to change 
horses at Frog Mill, seven miles from Cheltenham ; and from 
thence, passengers are regularly accommodated with good post 
chaises, at a small expense. A stage waggon goes to and from 
Cheltenham and London once a week. Sets off on Friday 
morning at 11, from Snow-hill, London, and reaches Cheltenham 
Tuesday evening at 8. Also sets out from hence on Monday 
morning at 6, and gets to London about 3 on Thursday after- 
noon." 

The first coach that conveyed passengers from the metropolis 
to this town, {via Frog Mill, en route to Gloucester) of which we 
have any account, was called " The Gloucester Flying Machine." 
The journey was accomplished rrr three days, which Was 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 267 

considered a very marvellous achievement for the time. The 
Gloucester Journal of Nov. 23, 1738, contains an advertisement 
to the effect that " If God permitted, the Gloucester Flying 
Machine would perform its journey in the short space of three 
days." The undertaking was considered a dangerous one, and 
six horses are announced as a necessary accompaniment. This 
is apparent from several wills of this date in the Gloucester 
Registry. One of the name of "Dormer, an old local family, 
thus commences : — " Whereas I am about to take a journey to 
London, and whereas it is uncertain whether or not I may live 
to return, I do therefore think it necessary to make my last Will 
and Testament. " The advertisements which appear weekly in the 
Gloucester JournaHor 1758, show that the " Flying Machines" 
were considered a marvellous mode of conveyance, and the only 
one, "if God permitted, " which enabled the inhabitants of 
Cheltenham to reach London. In 1736, when Sir Edward 
Seymour visited the town, his biographer, (as elsewhere stated), 
relates that for want of accommodation, he had to proceed to 
Gloucester to obtain s'eeping apartments, and that to effect this 
he had to bespeak a post chaise in the " fay re city"— the only 
one that it possessed, none at that time existing in the Inns at 
Cheltenham. There was also but one conveyance to arid from 
Bristol, and before that journey could be effected a passenger 
from the town had first to reach Gloucester. This is further 
confirmed by Counsel, who observes in his " History of 
Gloucester," that "There was but one stage coach only that 
travelled from Gloucester to Bristol ; it was drawn by four 
hordes, with ropes instead of traces, and performed the journey 
in the short space of one day. The writer also remembers 
the first post chaise that was set up in Gloucester ; it had three 
wheels only, and the entrance was by a door behind the carriage, 
the ascent to which was by a step ladder. The proprietor was 
a person of the name of Barnett Hughes, whose son afterwards 
distinguished himself at Astley's Amphitheatre, London." In 
" A Tour to Cheltenham Spaw, 1782," it is announced that, 
" 'Tis usual for those who have not their own carriages, on 
coming to Cheltenham, to take post chaise, from Frog Mill 
thither, the Gloucester vehicles setting them down at this place, 
as the next stage to Cheltenham. The Cross Hands is a neat 
public house. Close by the house, on the right leading from Frog 



268 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Mill towards Gloucester, is a good Summer bridle road to and 
from Cheltenham, through Dowdeswell and Charlton Kings. The 
direction post here is about five miles from Cheltenham, and 
this road saves two or three miles to the rider." 

From these extracts it is apparent that there was then no 
direct road from the metropolis to Cheltenham. The journey 
must have been a long and tedious one, as " the Stage Coach, 
holding six, and the diligence, carrying three passengers," left 
its patrons within seven miles of their destination, exposed to 
all the unpleasantness and uncertainly of procuring another 
conveyance onward. How changed are matters now ? By the 
Great Western Railway, London may be reached in three hours ! 
and other important places are, by the formation of various 
railways, placed within reach of the inhabitants; and at no 
distant period, Cheltenham will doubtless become the centre of 
a great system of railway communication through the medium 
of the projected East Gloucestershire Line. 

The celebrity of the waters attracted many persons of note, 
and amusements began to be established. The first notice that 
we have been able to trace of a public concert having been 
given was in the year 1757, as appears by the following adver- 
tisement in the Gloucester Journal of July 26th, of that date : — 

" For the benefit of Mr. George, at Mr. Pope's Great House 
in Cheltenham, on Wednesday the 10th August next will be 
performed a concert of Vocal and Instrumental Musick, and a 
Solo of Signor Degiardino's will be performed, on the violin, 
by a gentleman. Performers from Bath, Bristol, and other 
places. After the concert will be a Ball for the Ladies gratis. 
Tickets may be had of Mr. Hughes, at the Well, and at Mr. 
Pope's Coffee House." 

The " Great House," was the recently pulled down Old 
Clarence Boarding House, with stood on the site of the present 
Temporary Church. The " Coffee House," was located near the 
present Pittville Street, in Coffee House Yard. The state of the 
town at this period may be gleaned from the annexed extracts 
from the Gloucester Journal ; — 

" W r e hear from Cheltenham, that there is a great appearance 
of Gentry at the Balls there every Monday and Thursday, and at 
their Card Assemblies every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and 



THE DISCOVERT OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 269 

Saturday. There is more company every morning, at the Well 
and upon the Walks, then has been known there for some years 
past, a band of Musick attends constantly from eight o'clock 
until ten. We hear Mr. George's Concert will be about the 
middle of next month. Mr. Williams's company of Comedians 
is arrived and will act three times during the week in the season." 
(July 25th 1758.) 

" Gloucester July 8, 1758. We hear that there is a prospect 
of a very large season this Summer at Cheltenham Spaw, several 
lodgings being taken, and the following persons already there, 
viz., Lord Wenman and family, Lord Ched worth, Lord and Lady 
Tracy, Hon. Captain Tracy, Sir Leicester Holt, Lady Holt 
and family, Mrs. Matthew and family, Mr. and Mrs. Garbett 
and family, Eev. M. Lloyd and family, Eev. Mr. Allen and 
family, &c." Under date of August 8, in the same year, the list of 
arrivals include the Karl of Massareen, Mr. Fararkerley, M.P., 
Mr. Gore, M.P.,Mr. Kynaston, M.P., Hon. and Eev. Mr. Noel, 
the Kev. Dr. Boucher, &c, 

Such was Cheltenham up to nearly the close of the eighteenth 
century. Emerging from obscurity, it yet retained all the 
characteristics of a rural village. The celebrity of its health- 
restoring springs attracted the attention of Eoyalty, and an 
enfeebled Monarch sought relief at nature's fountain. Thus, 
those waters which had already become famous, were now 
patronized by the highest personage in the realm, and the result 
was the restoration to health of the King of England, and the 
gradual formation of one of the largest Watering Places in the 
Kingdom, as the next chapter will demonstrate. 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

®fy VLoton %intt tfje Fisfi of eSeotge ML 

THE discovery of the waters did not appear to alter the 
sanitary state of the place. It was not until seventy 
years afterwards that the brook which flowed down the High 
Street was diverted into another course, and a wide carriage 
road (as at present) formed. This was only effected two years 



270 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM 



before the Koyal visit of George III. Id making the main 
sewer in the High Street in 1834, the stepping stones, which 
enabled the inhabitants to hold communication with the oppo- 
site sides of the street, were dug up. Several flights of steps 
were found, of massive oak, opposite the Plough and Crown, 
and so sound that snuff boxes and other ornamental devices 
were made from them, and preserved as relics of the past. The 
engraving in this work, " Cheltenham in the Olden Time," 
represents the High Street in 1786, and the scene is described 
in Byrne's Poem on Cheltenham : — 

" If but a century since I could have stood 

Where now, deep musing o'er the past, I stand, 

Mine eye had fallen on stream and bow'riug wood, 
And straw-roof'd cots strewed o'er the pleasant land, 

" Thy wide and straggling street a babbling rill 

Did channel, and the rosy bare-foot maid 
Would oft her earthen pitcher come to fill, 

Where o'er the stones its crystal waters play'd." 

It appears that the inhabitants first attempted to stop the 
course of the Chelt down the centre of the High Street, by a 
private subscription in 1784. In 1785, " That with the per- 
mission and consent of the Lord of the Manor, an application 
would be made in the next Session of Parliament for leave to 
bring in a Bill for the paving, repairing, cleansing and lighting 
of the street of Cheltenham ; and for removing the present, and 
preventing future encroachments, nuisances, and annoyances 
therein," Cheltenham Guide of 1786, records that until 
" these few years the water ran through the middle of the street, 
and in a scarcity stagnated and was offensive ; but at present 
there is a good road through the town, with a channel on each 
side for the water ; and the streets, by a subscription from the 
inhabitants, assisted by donations from the company, have been 
in great part new paved." The water which flowed down the 
High Street in the gutters was used to water the streets. The 
contract was taken by William Hayward, a mender of chairs, 
and his wife, under the Old Commissioners' Act, who performed 
their task by the aid of bundles of straw tied upon a rope. 
Such was the primitive mode of watering Cheltenham little 
more than half a century since! The son-in-law of Mr. and 
Mrs. Hayward was the sole lamplighter, under the same obsolete 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF QEOUGE III. 271 

Act. "Till 1786 a stream ran down the middle of the Eigh 
Street, but in that year an Act was obtained for paving, 
cleansing, and lighting the streets, and removing obstructions 
and nuisances. The Commissioners have faithfully discharged 
the trust reposed in them by this act of the legislature, and now 
there is an excellent road through the town, with a channel on 
each side for the water ; the houses are numbered, and every 
improvement is adopted to render the place desirable." — 
(Longman's Guide to Wateriyig Places). The town, by altering 
the course of the stream, did not lose its ancient right to the 
use of the water so necessary in a sanitary point of view. The 
owner of Cambray Mill, now called* Barratt's, in after years 
claimed the whole of the Chelt, but, according to the Town 
Commissioners' reports, which from time to time appeared in 
the early numbers of the Cheltenham Chronicle (1809 to 1817), 
the Act of 1786, had wisely provided that the surplus water 
was to be at the service of the parish, for watering and cleansing 
the streets, and until within the past forty years, it flowed down 
in a channel now formiog the gutters. 

The land without the High Street, .was cultivated as farm 
property. There are many residents who can well remember 
when the ground now covered with the beautiful estates of 
Pittville, Montpellier and Lansdown, were devoted to agricultural 
purposes and considered of little value. The inhabitants at 
that time had a large quantity of commonable land for their use 
which must have materially helped to support their local poor, 
while they also had theprivilge of leazing in the fields. " The 
Good Old Times. — The harvest in this neighbourhood is pro- 
gressing most favourably. An old inhabitant informs us, as 
contrasting with the present abundance, that just 57 years ago, 
his mother, who is still in the enjoyment of. a green old age, 
gleaned with her own hands, in fields within a mile of the Parish 
Church, sufficient ears of wheat to yield when thrashed, upwards 
of five bushels of grain. So high was the price of wheat that 
year that her husband was offered five pounds for these five 
bushel of ieazings. It would be difficult now to glean five 
bushels within one mile of Cheltenham Parish Church." 
(Cheltenham Examiner^ Aug . , 1858.) 

" The town of Cheltenham runs in almost a straight line one 
mile in length, having one principal street, with some returns, 



272 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

lanes, and adjoining houses. Till within these few years the 
water ran through the middle of it, but at present there is a 
good road through the town, with a channel on each side for the 
water ; and the street by an Act of Parliament, obtained in 1786, 
with permission and consent of the Lord of the Manor, has 
been new paved, cleansed and lighted, the houses numbered, the 
market houses, signs and spouts pulled down, and other nuisances 
removed. A New Street is begun, designed to run from the 
centre of the town to the Spa, (St. George's Place), and besides 
the accomodations for the reception of visitors in the town itself, 
lodgings have been tilted up at Charlton, Sandford, Arle, Alstone 
and Prestbury, and there is no doubt but the inhabitants, who, 
from the neglected state of this place for near 30 years had been 
fearful of risking any expense, will, from the great and regular 
increase of company resorting to it, be convinced that it is their 
interest to render their lodgings as commodious as possible. 5 ' 
(Moreau, 1805). 

The only Promenade at this period was a long extended walk 
from the Parish Church Yard through Church Mead, (now occupied 
by the Royal Crescent), across the Chelt to the old Old Wells. 
It is thus described in the first Cheltenham Guide 1781 — seven 
years before Royalty had paid a visit. " On quitting the Church 
Yard at the S.W. gate, a passage is opened towards the 
Cheltenham Spa ; to which you are conducted first through a 
well constructed gravel walk, 106 yards long, and ten feet wide, 
planted on either side with a neat quickset. To the right of 
this walk within the Grove, in a pretty inclosure shaded with lofty 
trees, is the Great House, let out in commodious lodgings for 
the company. Its vicinity to the Long Room and Well renders 
it a convenient resort for cards, dancing, tea drinking and otuer 
parties, who meet here every evening in the week during the 
season, Mondays excepted, and make a subscription for Mrs. 
Field, the possessor. You next enter a pleasant field called 
Church Mead, through this a gravel walk, six feet wide, and 
above 270 feet in length, leads to the river Chelt ; which winds its 
humble current round the bottom of the Well-walk and other 
grounds adjacent. A slight draw bridge is thrown over the 
stream, and introduces to the public parade, whose beauty must 
strike the most common observer, extending in a straight line 



J 




old Well walk, <sm^lte 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 273 

by a gentle ascent to the famous spring. The length of the 
several walks, from the churchyard inclusive, to the end of the 
upper parade, is more than 900 yards. The following is an 
exact admeasurement taken by a Surveyor ; — 

Yards. 

Walk through the Church Yard 101 

Serpentine walk to Church Mead gate 106 

Through the Mead to the Chelt gate ... 190 

Thence over the brook, to the bottom of the Parades ... ... ... 25 

The Lower Grand Parade 200 

The Spa Paved Court 11 

The Upper Parade above the Well 104 • 

The grass walk at the end of the Upper Parade ... 200 

937 

Or 2811 feet, that is, above half-a-mile. ■ 

{Cheltenham Guide, 1781.) 

The only means of obtaining provisions at this time was 
through the medium of a country carrier. Corn, fish, butter, 
and vegetables were sold at the two old markets which were 
located in the High Street. The early numbers of the Cheltenham 
Chronicle record the repeated efforts made by the visitors to 
obtain supplies from the distance. It is a well credited fact, 
which can be attested by many among the living, that such was 
the difficulty of obtaining provisions, owing to the imperfect 
mode of transit, that after a sermon was ended, the preacher 
used to announce the arrival of a cargo of things " material." 
This blending of the spiritual and earthly may seem at the 
present day scarcely credible, but we adduce it to show the 
commercial state of the place. The first preacher who organised 
the now large and influential congregation of Wesleyans, and 
who officiated until 1812, made a custom after the benediction, 
to inform his hearers that during the week he had been successful 
in procuring something necessary to support their physical 
wants at a moderate rate, " which the brethren might obtain 
upon coming to 128, High Street." This was the well-known 
and energetic Oliver Watts. The Cheltenham Chronicle for 
1812, contains a succession of weekly notices complimenting a 
noble lord for getting fish from the metropolis for the use of the 
many visitors then in the town. 

The history of the town at the period of its transition state 
from the poor agricultural village to the u Queen of Watering 



274 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Places," is further developed in the rise, progress, and perma- 
nent establishment of a Post Office. The absence of any direct 
communication with London and other parts of England, until 
within the past half century, placed the delivery of letters in 
the town on a very precarious footing. The mail coach from 
London, which travelled twice or sometimes three days weekly, 
did not approach nearer to Cheltenham than Prog Mill, en route 
to Gloucester, and as a consequence, the past history of our 
local postal arrangements must be one of vicissitude. The 
documentary evidence at present known does not lead to any 
other conclusion than that the postal system was not locally 
commenced until within the present century, as we shall endeavour 
to detail. 

The markets were attended to by an eccentric female, named 
Nancy Wells, but called " Nanny the bellwoman," who was 
then almost the only parochial officer in existence-— -filling the 
various offices of toll collector, watchman, town crier, post- 
mistress, &c. This extraordinary character, who died in Pate's 
Alms-houses, was a very athletic personage; she loaded and 
unloaded the waggons which came to the corn market, assisted 
in capturing prisoners, cried the hour of the night, and duly 
delivered letters, at least within a fortnight after they left the 
place from whence they were sent. At this period there was 
only one magistrate, and the administration of justice was 
quickly done between " Nanny," " Constable Oakey," and the 
kind-hearted gentleman of the bench. " Nanny the bellwoman" 
was justly celebrated for the clear and powerful manner in which 
she announced something " lost," or " stolen," or on " sale by 
auction." She possessed a very retentive memory, and although 
unable either to read or write, when a notice of something 
" lost or stolen," or the direction of a letter was read over to 
her, she would afterwards remember it. This feminine crier 
was a very loyal subject, and George III, during the period of 
his stay at Cheltenham, was one morning passing up the High 
Street, and on hearing her conclude a public notice with tjie 
words "God save the King," the Monarch emphatically 
exclaimed — " God save the crier and the people." 

At a later period there was another feminine officer, who 
followed much the same calling as her predecessor. This was 
Nanny Saunders, She devoted her evenings, (lanthorn and 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 275 

wicker basket in hand, and attired in a red cloak and huge black 
hat), to the delivery of letters among the inhabitants, and went 
by the name of " Nanny, the Post Mistress. 55 The London 
Mail, which passed by Frog Mill on its road to Gloucester, 
occasionally found means to forward a bag by the carrier to Mrs. 
Saunders. Nanny's husband, (a cripple from birth) by the aid 
of a donkey, delivered letters to those who resided in the 
hamlets and adjacent villages — a somewhat arduous task con- 
sidering the then condition of the roads. This useful pair in 
their declining years found shelter in the Church houses which 
formerly existed in the church-yard near Chester Walk. Here 
they subsisted upon benefactions voluntarily given. Some idea 
may be formed of the imperfect manner in which the delivery 
was effected at this time from the following fact, which was 
related to us by the late Mr. J. N. Belcher. That gentleman 
had been expecting a letter of importance, when one day he 
accidentally met " Nanny" and made enquiries. She informed 
him that she had a letter for him, but that " she had something 
else to do than to bring a single letter to the bottom of the 
High Street. 5 ' The epistle was six days after the London post 
mark date. Another old inhabitant, Mr. Gibbins, informed us 
that he once accosted " ^anny 5 ' with her wicker basket and 
tape handles, and made enquiries, when she handed to him a 
letter which had arrived three days previous, alleging the same 
reason for non-delivery as related in the former instance. A 
Post Office was opened in 1800 by Mr. Smith, a grocer, at 127, 
High Street, and at his decease it was transferred to an iron- 
monger of the same name residing at the next door. 

In 1805, Mr. Hayes was sent down from the General Post 
Office, London, to make local arrangements, He first com- 
menced an office in the High Street, at the entrance to the Eose 
and Crown passage, and afterwards removed it lower down to 
the corner of Park Street, adjoining the residence of the late 
J. N. Belcher, Esq. The arrangements of the London " official 55 
were very unsatisfactory, and subject to continual change. The 
inhabitants complaining upon the matter, he next adopted the 
plan of hiring a bellman, who collected the epistles. This 
worthy man, whose name was Belcher, was attired in red, and 
was the descendant of an old family in the town. He was 
locally known ?s " the red Postman, 55 and on him devolved all 



276 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the onerous duties of the entire parish. The following* is from 
a Post Office placard, printed at the office of the Cirencester 
Flying Post, in 1780:— 

•'The London Post to Cheltenham, 

Goes Out Comes In 

Monday evening, at 10 f Monday ") 
Wednesday noon, at 12 < Thursday > morning. 
Saturday evening, at 10 (. Saturday ) 

" The Cross Post to and from Gloucester, 

Goes Out Comes In 

Sunday afternoon, at 4 C Monday ~\ 
Wednesday night < Thursday > afternoon 

Friday „ (. Saturday ) 

Mr. Entwisle, the step-father of the Duchess St. Albans, was 
post-master until 1816. One of his notices was as follows: — 
" Letters delivered generally at the window of the Post Office 
at about a quarter before twelve." Mr. Hutton, a grocer in the 
High Street, was another post -master, but no organized system 
of delivery was adopted at either of the establishments con- 
ducted by these individuals. Mr. Cossens, who was afterwards 
a post-master, at the High Street entrance to Grosvenor-street, 
published a very excellent map of the town. Mr. Stokes 
Heynes, carried on a Post Office in Hegent Street. The site of 
the present Imperial Circus, on the Clarence Street side, was 
the last place where the office was conducted (by Mr. Wall), 
prior to the erection of the present establishment, which is very 
centrally situated. Even so recently as 1814, the postal arrange- 
ments were extremely precarious, as is evident from the following 
paragraph in the Cheltenham Chronicle of January 27 of that 
year : — " Yesterday, the mail arrived in this town with six horses 
from London — the first time for the last seven days." For a 
number of years, down to a comparatively recent date, there 
was only three communications in the week with the metropolis, 
and the same number of mails in return. Now, indeed, a mighty 
change has come over the locality. There are now employed in 
the Cheltenham Post Office a large number of efficient persons, 
under the management of Mr. J. Nicholson, postmaster, and 
Mr. Oakden, chief clerk ; and the rapid manner in which letters 
are received and delivered is almost marvellous, and surpassed 
only by the quicker motions of the Electric Telegraph. The 
excellent manner in which the establishment is conducted, renders 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 277 

it an important appendage to the town. The amount of postage 
stamps received, and Post Office stamps sold at the Cheltenham, 
office was, in 1855, £9,691, and 1856, £9,760. The amount 
of monev-order business transacted was — 1855, issued £53,076, 
paid £28,525 :— 1856, issued £57,227, paid £41,239. In 
1859, the postage stamps sold exceeded £10,000, and in 1860, 
amounted to upwards of £11,000! This return is from the 
Post Office only, and does not include the stamps sold at the 
sub-distributor's office, or those obtained by commercial firms 
from the metropolis. In 1861, the staff of the Cheltenham 
Post Office consisted of a Postmaster,* six clerks, twelve letter 
carriers, four auxiliary letter carriers and two stampers. The 
letter carriers deliver one mile and a quarter from the Post 
Office, the auxiliaries being employed in the morning only. 
The number of bags received daily are 51, and the same 
number of despatches. There are two deliveries daily. The 
postal district is upwards of 60 miles in circumference, ex- 
tending to Stanton, Ford, Naunton, Sherborne, Winson, Combe 
End, Bentham, Badgworth, Barrow, Leigh, Hardwick, Stoke 
Orchard, Wolstone, and Oxenton. This district is delivered by 
twenty-three messengers, six of whom start from and return to 
the chief office, the others starting from and returning to the 
branch offices at Charlton Kings, Andt>versford, Northleach, and 
Winchcomb, from whence the letters are conveyed to the chief 
office in mail carts. There are also twenty-one sub- post-offices 
in different parts of the district, from which the letters are 
collected by the messengers on their return. The number of 
letters on au average delivered weekly are 39,226 in Cheltenham, 
and 5,969 in the district, giving a total of 45,195. The number 
of newspapers delivered weekly in Cheltenham and district is 
8,142. The number of money orders issued at the Cheltenham 
office for the six months ending June 30, 1861, was 15,175, 
and the amount £28,409 6s., the commission paid being 
£249 15s., giving a total of £28,659 Is, The number of 
orders paid for the same period was 12,450, and the amount 
£23,140 4s. 2d. We thus see by comparing the present large 
amount of business transacted at our local office, with what was 
done by the single-handed letter-carrier of half a century since, 
further proof of the rapid increase in population which the 
town has made. Within the memory of the living, a poor old 



278 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



woman met the postal requirements of the inhabitants by 
devoting her evenings to the delivery of letters after her daily 
work was over. Now, upwards of two millions ot letters are 
delivered to the Cheltenham residents in a year, and the delivery 
gives permanent employment to twenty-three persons, besides 
those engaged upon the district mails, where no railway commu- 
nication has been established. 

The health-diffusing springs which scattered with no sparing 
hand that gift which constitutes the chief blessing of life, were 
made manifest in the restoration to health of the Eoyal family. 
It was a rude building, indeed, which received the morning 
visits of Eoyalty at our primitive Spa. There was then no 
modern town to astonish the sojourner. Nature was the only 
enchanter, save the virtues of the waters, which could engage 
the attention of the Eoyal visitants. It is surprising to con- 
sider the smallness of the population and the dearth of houses 
at this period. When George III. and suite arrived in the 
town, the number of lodging-houses did not exceed thirty, and 
the entire Hundred contained but 300 habitations. But, from 
the time of the Eoyal visit, there has been a rapid increase both 
in the number of inhabitants and houses. The annexed table 
exhibits at one view the population of the ancient Hundred of 
Cheltenham, from the time of Charles II. to the reign of Queen 
Victoria. The Hundred included most of the parishes now 
connected with the Cheltenham Union under the New Poor 
Law Act. 



CENSUS WHEN 


NUMBER OE INHABI- 


NUMBER OF 


TAKEN. 


TANTS IN HUNDRED. 


HOUSES. 


1666 


1,500 


321 


1797 


2,700 


530 


1801 


3,076 


710 


1811 


8,325 


1556 


1821 


13,388 


2411 


1824 


17,647 


2914 


1825 


19,160 


3464 


1826 


21,376 


4027 


1831 


22,942 


6014 


1841 


36,617 

THE PARISH ONLY. 


7365 


1851 1 


35,062 


6343 


1861 


39,590 


7013 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OP GEORGE III. 279 

This return for the past twenty years, is confined to the parish 
only, and does not include those contiguous places which may 
be called a continuation of the town, such as the Park Estate, 
portions of the Pittville Estate, and parts of the London and 
of Hale's Eoads. These out-parishes in 1861, numbered 
10,098, so that the entire population of the Cheltenham Union, 
and over which the poor's rate is levied, amounts to 49,688, as 
shown by the official return annexed : 

1851. 1861. Increase. 

Cheltenham Parish 35,062 39,590 4,528 

Charlton Kings 3,171 3,443 270 

Prestbury 1,315 1,297 — 

Leckhampton 2,150 2,622 271 

Badgworth 874 1,038 174 

Shurdington 173 164 — 

Up-Hatherley 50 68 18 

Uckington 173 195 22 

Swindon 221 227 6 

Cubberley 243 343 100 

Cowley 315 311 — 

Great Witcomb 167 165 — 

Staverton 276 315 39 

Totals 44,190 49,688 5428 

This return is a most convincing proof of the growing popu- 
larity of the " Queen of Watering Places" in public estimation, 
and we need no stronger argument in its favour than the exact 
results of the census of 1861, so far as regards the Parlia- 
mentary borough of Cheltenham. At the last decennial census 
the population of the burough was returned at 35,062. It is 
now 39,590. Of these the number of males is 16,474, and of 
females 23,116, showing a fair majority of 6,642 ! The total 
increase of the population in this decade is 4,528 ; and our 
townsmen may well be congratulated on a fact which affords 
such gratifying proof of the healthy developement of the town. 
Nor is the result of the numbering of the people in what we 
may call the suburbs of Cheltenham at all less satisfactory. 
Leckhampton has now 2,522 inhabitants, against 2,150 in 1851 ; 
and Charlton Kings has 3,443, against 3,171 in 1851. Prom 
these statistical facts it will be apparent the average annual 
increase in the town alone is about 500, and the population 
during the ten past years have exceeded by 5,000 persons, the 
previous ten years. This is a striking proof of the steady 



280 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

progress that the place has been making. Another additional 
incident also proves that a still further acceleration of numbers 
is going on. This is the fact that there are few vacant houses, 
and those that are " to let," have many competitors, and the 
result is an increased rental and consequent enhancement in the 
value of property. According to the census during the ten 
years preceding 1861, the number of new houses that had been 
erected amounted to 670, and those were of an expensive 
character. And if additional proof was wanting, it will be 
found in the Registrar's Returns for the year ending in July, 1861, 
which shows that during the past twelve months 1082 births 
had taken place in the town, being an excess of 400 over the 
deaths for the same period. The marriages for the same time 
exceeded 500 in number. 

Miss Porter, the eminent authoress, in her " Memoirs of Sir 
Edward Seward," relates, that when that gentleman was 
journeying from London to Gloucester, in the year 1736, lie 
arrived at Cheltenham late in the evening and desired to remain 
for the night, but could not obtain a lodging, and was obliged 
to proceed on to Gloucester ! 

Fosbroke, the county historian, thus describes the condition 
of Cheltenham in 1798, — when he first visited it : — "A double 
range of buildings above the PJough, were considered to be the 
only habitations fit for the reception of high wealth and title. 
These High-street houses had. balconies, for there was not a 
verandah in the whole town. The two turnpikes were indeed 
soldier drest with whitewash, paint, gay lamps, and cheap 
tawdries of strong effect. The High Street was of motley 
character, the houses being of all heights, forms, and descrip- 
tions. A low thatched house with a gable end, and antique bay 
windows, of horn coloured glass, and leaden reticulations, 
adjoined a flat dwelling, and displayed two shop windows, and 
next to this was a slim London three or four storied house, with 
a railed area, ascent up steps, narrow passage, and front and 
back parlour. The footway of the street was partially paved ; 
but towards the Gloucester end, there was only a gravelled 
causeway, intersected at short intervals by open drains." 

With the exception of two small Dissenting burial grounds, 
the whole of the past interments of the parish were confined to 
the Established Church, as were also the Baptisms and 



Baptisms. 


Marriages. 


Burials, 


20 


6 


32 


31 


21 


32 


44 


7 


44 


26 


14 


32 


90 


49 


83 


667 


197 


332 


635 


258 


415 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 281 

Marriages previous to the passing of the New Begistration 
Act. We are therefore enabled to further illustrate the rapid 
progress which has been going on in Cheltenham, by extracts 
from the parish register, which will reveal the number of 
Marriages, Baptisms and Burials registered from the reign of 

Queen Elizabeth : — 

Year. 
From November 1558 to November 1559 
From November 1559 to November 1560 
From March 1630 to March 1631 
From March 1730 to March 1731 
From January 1803 to January 1805 
From December 1830 to December 1831 
From December 1831 to December 1832 

Mr. J. Shenton, a printer, of the town, whp commenced 
business in 1786, and grandfather of Mr. T. B. Shenton, pub- 
lished a Cheltenham Directory in 1800. This work, the first of 
its kind, contains a complete list of the then inhabitants, and 
the entire number of names are printed on 24 pages — each page 
averaging 16 names. Contrast this state of things with the 
contents of "Harper's Directory," published in 1844. This 
work was a copy from the Poor's Bate Book, and the oaly one 
which classified the trades verbatim. It contained 400 pages, 
with an average of 70 names on each page. Prom that work it 
will be seen that there were 4,323 persons engaged in trade, 
while the number of inhabited houses were upwards of 7000. 
The same authority also enables us to compare the past and 
present state of the town in reference to particular trades. 
There were then 56 bakers and confectioners; 88 grocers and 
tea dealers ; 50 butchers; 173 licensed victuallers ; 43 librarians 
and stationers; 167 milliners and dress makers; and 300 
lodging-house keepers. Sixty years ago, there was only one 
resident physician in Cheltenham — the celebrated Dr. Jenner, 
and but one dispensing chemist! In 1844, there were 80 
medical men, and 30 chemists and druggists. "Davies's 
Annuaire" for I860, in its list of the principal tradesmen in 
the town, mentions the names of 926 persons. " Edwards's 
Directory" for 1862, enumerates 924 persons engaged in retail 
trade, and 229 persons following professions. At the period 
the mineral waters were first becoming known, Dr. Smith, from 
Oxford, resided here during the drinking season, and gave advice 
to the visitors. He is entered in the Poor Hate Books from 



282 MSTOSY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1722, and for many years afterwards, as the sole resident medical 
man — " Dr. Smith, surgeon, two shillings and sixpence 5 ' — the 
amount of his annual rate. On a tablet in the Parish Church, 
he is recorded to have given a sconce, or pendant chandelier, to 
enable the inhabitants to have an evening service. This was 
used until the Gas Company gratuitously lighted the church in 
1828, when the Doctor's bequest was set aside, and a few years 
since, as may be seen on reference to the churchwardens' 
accounts, it was sold for old metal, and the proceeds applied to 
the parish account. Dr. Jameson, the author of the first local 
" Treatise on the Waters," appears to have been an early resident, 
and was an opponent of Dr. Jenner, on the question of vaccina- 
tion, and regarded the theory, then first broached, as visionary. 
Time has however proved which of our two townsmen were 
right. In a " Cheltenham Guide," published in 1783, and 
which details all the then tradesmen in the town, for the infor- 
mation of visitors, no resident baker or confectioner is named, 
but the tourist is politely informed " that just below the Well 
is a farm-house, called ' Gallipot,' where parties may be accom- 
modated with c Syllabub.' " In a speech made by the Bev. 
C. B. Trye, the respected rector of Leckhampton, at a public 
dinner given in January, 1862, to celebrate the extension of the 
public gas lights from Cheltenham to Leckhampton, the rev. 
speaker remarked — " I well remember, when a boy, there was 
only ten houses from Leckhampton to Suffolk Square, which at 
that time was the site of the thatched cottage, called c Gallipot 
Farm,' and when the only carriage road to Gloucester was over 
the Crickley Eoad." 

The past and present history of the town is further developed 
by the gradual rise in the assessable value of the property within 
the parish. We have seen in a previous chapter that in 1727 
there were 158 heads of families entered on the Poor Rate Book, 
who were charged " fourpence in the pound on their dwellings, 
and threepence on their unbuilt lands." The entire sum col- 
lected amounted to £12 14s. l^d. At this date, the Plough, 
then occupied by Mr. Pope, was rated at d£6 per annum. The 
Eate-book of 1741 presents no alteration in point of numbers, 
or in the assessments, but the Eate-book of 1763 shows an 
increase of the number of rate -payers, but no improvement in 
the value of the property. In 1806, Mr. Thornton was elected 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OP GEORGE III. 283 

Poor-rate collector, with a salary of £5 per annum. According 
to the original Kate-book, the amount realised was only £19 9 
19s. Id., at ninepence in the pound — a proof of the small 
number of rate-payers in the town at that period. The value 
of property in the town in 1811, as set forth in the Eate-book, 
is interesting and curious, and shows a rapid increase in the 
rateable value of local property. The Old Commissioners 
issued a rate of two shillings and sixpence in the pound, under 
the Paving Act, from Midsummer 1811 to Midsummer, 1812. 
From the collector's book it appears that, in that year, there 
were 1261 houses assessed in the town, 25 in Westall, and four 
in Alstone. The total amount of the rate was £2,334 13s. O^d. 
In this book the annual value of the undermentioned places are 
thus assessed: — Plough Hotel, £133; Assembly Eooms, £88 ; 
Public Office, £44 ; the late Mrs. Agg's residence, £35 ; 
Clarence Hotel, £44 ; the Grammar School, £15; Gardener's 
Brewery, £84; the Fleece, £71. The following localities are 
described as being " Outside the town" : — Sherborne Street, 
Gloucester Place, North Parade, back part of Lamb Inn, 
Portland Street, Portland Place, and the Hon. Miss Monson's, 
now known as Monson Villa, and once the residence of the Eev. 
F. Close. How different are the results of modern levies of 
the poor-rate. In 1844 a poor-rate of ninepence in the pound 
yielded £15,706, 14s. 8£d., and in 1848, the number of rate- 
payers were 6,635, and a rate of Is. 6d. in the pound amounted 
to £22,000 (net). In the same year the Commissioners' Lamp 
and Paving Bate, at Is. 4d. in the pound, was estimated at 
£9,304 10s. 8d. The window-tax for the like period for the 
township only, amounted to £13,374. In 1849, the assessable 
value of property in the parish was £182,098. In 1851, the 
Poor-law Commissioners divided the town into five wards, for 
the better carrying out of the purposes of their Act. The 
number of ratepayers in each ward, with the amount of assess- 
ment, was thus returned : — 

Wards. Ratepayers. Assessmt. 

East— from Charlton to East side of Portland-street 1638 £40,000 

North— from North side of Portland-st. to Tewkesbury-road 1793 30,000 

West — from Gloucester-road to St. George's-place 1115 34,000 

South— from Rodney -terrace to Old Bath-road 991 29,000 

Middle — from St. George's-place to Rodney-terrace 891 50,000 

Totals 6l28 £183,000 



2§4 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



The number of houses now liable to be rated is 7275. The 
assessable value of property in the town, as entered in the 
Overseers' book for 1861, and upon which the rates are levied, 
is £171,291. The two poor-rates founded upon that assess- 
ment amounted to — the one at one shilling and threepence in 
the pound, £10,705 13s. 9d., and the other, at one shilling in 
the pound, to £8,395 5s., making a total of £19,100 18s. 9d. 
So that we may say that Cheltenham now contributes annually 
about £20,000 towards the maintenance of its local poor, and for 
other purposes in connection, through the medium of a poor's 
rate. The borough-rate, at two shillings in the pound, levied 
by the Improvement Commissioners during the same period, 
amounted to £14,741 3s., according to the audited report, pub- 
lished in July, 1861. The payment on account of the branch 
sewers' account for the same time was £3,799 6s. The same 
body corporate estimated for the year 1862, the assessable value 
of property rateable for the Borough-rate, at £166,056, 10s., 
and that a rate of two shillings in the pound, would produce 
£16,605 13s. The value rateable to the Sewers-rate was esti- 
mated at £160,980 5s,, and subject to special arrangements, a 
rate of fourpence half-penny in the pound would realise 
£1,610. 

The income and property tax, and inhabited house and other 
duties, evince the wealth and importance of the place. These 
taxes are collected according to the ancient divisions of the 
parish — the town, north and south, and the Lansdown and 
Bayshill districts under the name of the hamlets of Alstone 
and Westal. The amounts collected under the different 
schedules, A, B, D, and E, for the year ending April 5, 1861, 
was as follows : — 

Income Tax for the Yeah Ending Aprtl 5, 1861. 







A B 


D 


E 


Total. 


Alstone ... 
Arle 


£ s. d. 1' £ a. d. 

1260 17 1 39 5 2 

129 15 3 31 5 5 


£ s. d. 

542 2 

1790 14 10 
256] 19 9 
1138 15 6 


£ s. d. 

539 2 6 
183 17 6 
499 1 2 


£ s. d. 
1842 4 3 

161 8 
5133 18 2 
4612 16 4 
3500 3 4 


Cheltenham 
Cheltenham 
Westal 


North. 
South 


2783 14 8 
1865 18 
1851 9 11 


20 6 2 

1 1 1 

10 16 9 




7891 14 11 


102 14 7 


6033 12 1 


1222 1 2 


15250 2 9 



the town since the visit op geoltge iii. 285 

House and other Duties foil the Year Ending April 
5, 1861.— Inhabited house duty, £4706 Is. Hid. ; Morses for 
riding, £491 8s.; Carriages, £858 13s. 4d.; Mules and horses, 
£142 16s. ; Servants, £632 12s. 6cl. ; Dogs, £452 8s.; Horse 
Dealers' duty, £96 8s. ; Armorial bearings, 499 19s. 8d. ; Total 
assessment, £7880 4s. 5id. 

The present prosperous and wealthy condition of the town 
has thus been established by the financial statements we have 
above given. In order to place the matter in a still clearer 
light, we present, in a tabular form, for reference, a summary of 
one year's payment of rates and taxes by the inhabitants of 
Cheltenham, from the official accounts, as audited in 1861 : — 

Poor's Rate 

Borough Rate 

Income and Property Tax 

Inhabited House Duty 

Duty on Carriages 

„ en Servants ... 

„ on Armorial Bearings 

„ on Horses 

„ on Dogs 

Land Tax 

The above gives a grand total of £56,911 16s. lf-d., as the 
contributions from this town towards the direct taxation of the 
country ; and by comparing these figures with the returns of 
former years, sve find exhibited in a striking manner the advance 
of Cheltenham in wealth and prosperity. 

The small number of residents at the commencement of the 
present century is also apparent from the very simple manner 
in which judicial and criminal cases were disposed of. One 
resident magistrate, and a constable, who united with his office 
various others, including that of town crier, was all the staff 
required. The prison, locally called "The Blind House," was a 
small stone structure situated in the Fleece Lane (Henrietta St.), 
and not capable of containing more than one prisoner. Through 
apertures, protected by iron bars, the inmate held converse 
with the passers by, and often obtained sums of money, which 
procured their release. Attached to this small rude structure 
were the stocks. These accompaniments of an agricultural 
village were used for divers offences. The most frequent occu- 
pant was a local character known as " Oyster Jack." He 



£ s. 


d. 


19,000 18 


9 


14,741 3 





15,250 2 


9 


4,706 1 


Hi 


858 13 


4 


63:2 12 


6 


499 19 


8 


634 4 





452 8 





135 12 


H 



286 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

persisted in crying oysters in the streets on a Sunday during 
the hours of Diving Service. For this offence he was regularly 
placed in the stocks Sabbath after Sabbath, until the officials 
abandoned prosecution. A prison of a substantial character 
was afterwards erected at the angle of Ambrose Street, which 
is now used for mercantile purposes, and was sold by the Old 
Commissioners, at the time the New Police Act came in force. 
Stocks were also added to the building, but the only person 
ever placed in them was for non-payment of a fine for intoxication. 
After beiog in durance for a short time, the spectators sub- 
scribed the amount, and the man was released. 

The want of accommodation in the town is apparent from 
the following letter from a visitor, which may be found in the 
Morning Post, of September 6, 1780:— "Mr. Editor, ~I am 
just returned from a little tour through the West of England. 
Amongst the number of places I visited, Cheltenham in Glou- 
cestershire detained me some days, being a town now growing 
into repute, from the great increase of company this year, who 
go to drink the mineral spa water. I shall trouble you with a 
sketch of the town and its inhabitants, which may perhaps be 
of service to those who frequent it in future. The town of 
Cheltenham, from its situation, would in all probability have 
remained unnoticed until the end of time, had not the Spa 
attracted the attention of the public. This seems to be the 
general opinion of the inhabitants, if we may judge from the 
little pains they have taken to decorate or improve themselves 
or habitations. They likewise seem displeased that chance 
should ever have brought them to public notice, by their constant 
opposition to every improvement for the convenience and accom- 
modation of those who visit them. This narrow-minded mode 
of thinking, we may naturally conclude, leads them on to inso- 
lence and imposition. Thus, emerging as they are from a state 
of obscurity, did they possess the understanding of rational 
creatures, we might expect to see attention, assiduity and care to 
deserve the favours of the public ; but this seems to be distant 
from their ideas; and those whose health necessarily obliges 
them to go there, must think themselves highly indebted to the 
public spirit of Mr. Miller, of London, for the great exertion of 
his fortune and abilities, to render the place in the least sufferable. 
I am, &c., T. G. Saturday night, Sept. 2, 1780." 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 287 

In the second "Cheltenham Guide," published in 1783, 
occur these announcements : — "There are two sedan chairs at 
Cheltenham, the owners of which, from the very little use that 
is made of them, will not carry any fare under a shilling/' " A 
coffee-house and some good boarding-houses are much wanted 
in the town, and would certainly answer to the establishers of 
them. 5 ' " Just above the well is a farm-house, known by the 
name of ' Gallipot, 5 at which parties are accommodated with 
' syllabub.' " "A common brewery has lately been established 
here by Mr. Wynne." "The Circulating Library. — Mr. 
Harward, the proprietor, desirous to oblige his customers, takes 
very good care to furnish his library with every new publication 
worthy notice. Tha subscription five shillings for the season. 
He also lets out harpsichords, piano-fortes, and other musical 
instruments, and provides persons to tune them." 

As a specimen of the class of amusements that were then 
patronised, we transcribe a hand-bill printed by Mr. Harward, 
the resident librarian here alluded to, whose death is recorded in 
the Cheltenham Chronicle for 1811, and whose relative, the Eev. 
J. Harward, in connection with T. Henney, Esq., planned the 
present Promenade. 

" Positively for Three Days Only.— The Original Stone-Eater. 

" At a Large Commodious Room, at the Bell Inn, in this 
Town. Stone Eating, and Stone Swallowing, and after the 
Stones are Swallowed, may be heard to chink in his Belly, the 
same as in a Pocket. 

" The present is allowed to be the age of wonders, and im- 
provements in the Arts ! The idea of a Man's flying in the 
Air, twenty years ago, before the discovery of use of Balloons, 
would have been laughed at by the most credulous ! Nor does 
the history of nature afford so extraordinary a relation as that 
of a Man's eating and subsisting on Pebbles, Flints, Tobacco 
Pipes, or Mineral Excrescences — but so it is ! and the Ladies 
and Gentleman, of this town and its vicinity, have now an 
apportunity of witnessing the extraordinary fact, by seeing one 
of the most wonderful Phsenomena of the age, who Grinds and 
Swallows Stones, &c, with as much ease as a Person would 
crack a nut, and masticate a kernel. 

" This extraordinary Stone Eater appears not to suffer the 
least inconvenience from so ponderous, and to all other persons 



288 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

in the World, so indigestible a meal, which he repeats from 
Eleven to One, at noon, and also from Four in the afternoon, 
till Six in the evening. 

" N.B. — As his stay in this town will be only Three Days ; 
therefore it is hoped Ladies and Gentlemen will avail themselves 
of the opportunity of seeing this wonderful performance. 

"Admittance One Shilling. A private Performance, on a 
short Notice." 

Sedan Chairs appear to have been the only means of fashion- 
able conveyance up to 1810. In that year the Cheltenham 
Chronicle records that " Mr. Jonathan Wildey has, with a public 
spirit, which is highly commendable, remedied a great deficiency 
in this place, by establishing a job carriage, which he has set up 
in so liberal and handsome a style, that there can be no doubt 
of his meeting with that encouragement which he deserves." 
In the same paper is an advertisement from Mr. Wildey, who 
describes his vehicle as " an elegant Landau, with able horses 
and careful driver ; and humbly recommends it as a very useful 
conveyance to and from the Ball and Play. Parties wishing to 
take an airing with it may be accommodated." This attempt at 
introducing the luxury of a modern fly was a failure, and brought 
its promoter to the Bankruptcy Court in twelvemonths after- 
wards. 

A remnant of the days when the town enjoyed its village- 
like character is to be found in the Pairs and Mops, or Statutes, 
still continued from time immemorial. These, according to old 
custom, were held in the High Street, but a clause in the new 
Improvement Act removed the standings to the Market Place. 
These fairs are held on the second Thursday in April, on Holy 
Thursday, the 5th of August, the Thursday beiore and after 
Michaelmas-day, the second Thursday in September, and the 
third Thursday in December. The Michaelmas Fairs are called 
Mops, and the hiring of farm-servants takes place at them. All 
kinds of cattle and provisions are brought to market. Tbe 
horses are collected for sale at the top of Winchcomb Street 
and Albion Street; horned cattle and sheep near Henrietta 
Street ; and pigs in the Fleece Yard. The Cattle Fairs have 
been held during the past century in various localities, and are 
now held in the public highways mentioned, until some more 
suitable place shall be provided. 




i8> WSHt WAiLK-SKEiLTrOfllKLARSL 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OP GEORGE III. 289 

The Morning Post during the visit of George the Third in 
1788 relates the change the town had undergone in a series of 
paragraphs as follows : — 

" In consequence of the overflow of Cheltenham, Tewkesbury 
and Prestbury are crowded. Lodgings have increased in such 
a degree, and at such a rate, that for apartments let the preceding- 
season at three guineas, no less than twenty-five guineas per week 
have been asked and received." 

" Cheltenham will be the summer village of all that is 
fashionable and all that is dignified, the residence of the royal 
family being a thing quite new, so far from the metropolis. 
Already we hear nothing but Cheltenham modes — the Cheltenham 
cap — the Cheltenham bonnet — the Cheltenlmm buttons — the 
Cheltenham buckles; in short, all the fashions are completely 
Cheltenhamized throughout Great Britain. The approaching 
fashion of attending the steps of majesty, will complete the 
of its prosperity." 

In " A Tour to Cheltenham Spa," edition of 1805, it is said 
that " The market is on Thursday, when butter and poultry are 
brought from the neighbouring villages ; and since the great 
increase of visitors, the country people bring in poultry, and the 
hucksters bring salmon, eels, gudgeons, carp, tench, and other 
fresh water fish, from the Severn every day in the week during 
the season ; and in the months of July and August, samlets or 
botchers from 41b. to 61b. or 71b. each ; lobsters or cray fish once 
or twice a week, but always on Tuesday from Oxford ; soles and 
other sea fish, by the carriers from Bath. Trout and Jack may 
be had by giving orders at Cirencester." 

How changed are matters since tais was recorded ! By the 
aid of that mighty power — steam, the Cheltenham fishmonger 
can now supply his customers with the choicest qualities daily. 
One sign of progress was the election of a Master of the 
Ceremonies. The number of visitors in 1780 had reached to 
370, and it was found necessary to secure the service of a person 
who could regulate the amusements. The first choice was a 
fortunate one and the gentleman selected was one every way 
qualified. He was a person of high literary attainments, and 
was the author of the first "Cheltenham Guide," Simeon 
Moreau, Esq., retained his situation to the period of his death 
in December 1810. He had the honour of receiving his Majesty 



290 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

George the Third on the occasion of his visit ; and on his Majesty's 
recovery from the dangerous illness which attacked him, soon 
after, Mr. Moreau caused gold and silver medals to be struck to 
commemorate the happy event. He lies interred in the centre 
of the Parish Church. A plain flat stone, on which is simply 
inscribed his name, his office, and time of his decease, is all 
that denotes his resting place. His successor was James 
King, Esq , of Bath, who died in 1816. The next elected officer 
was A. Fothringham, Esq., whose death occurred on the morning 
of Saturday, January 20th, 1820, under circumstances tLat 
deserve a passing note. His lamented lady expired, after a 
short illness, on the previous Sunday ■ — and at the very moment 
when the hearse arrived to convey her remains to the grave, his 
widowed heart gave way and he died at the sight of the mourning 
cortege. On the Tuesday following they were interred together 
at Prestbury, in the same vault wherein five of their children 
had in one year been laid. The number of visitors had by this 
time so far increased that the office of M.C., was sought far as 
a situation that was both honourable and remunerative. Three 
candidates now offered themselves — Charles H. Marshall, Esq., 
Captain Clough and Captain Smith. The votes recorded were 
for the first named 228, for the second 200, and for the last 21. 
Mr. Marshall filled the office until 1835. On Mr. Marshall's 
resignation, two gentlemen came forward as candidates for the 
situation — Captain Kirwan and Mr. Sisson. Captain Kirwan, 
who has since been promoted to the rank of Lieut-Colonel, was 
elected on June 8th, 1835, by a majority of 235 votes, and is 
the present M C. 

Another sign of the town's progress, and allied to the office of 
M.C., was the establishment of Assembly Rooms in succession, 
first small, then larger, until ultimately the present one was 
erected, which for its size and period of erection stands without a 
rival in England. The first fashionable gatherings were in tne 
"Long Room," at the original Spa, next were the "Upper and 
Lower Rooms," in the High Street, which were under the controul 
of a committee of amusements elected in 1791. The present 
Assembly Rooms were first opened under the most auspicious cir- 
cumstances on the evening of July 29, 1816, upon which occasion 
the immediate patronage and presence of the "Hero of a hundred 
fights," graced the ceremony. It is indeed an interesting fact 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 291 

that these magnificent Rooms were publicly opened by the Duke 
and Duchess of Wellington. The ceremony was attended by 
1,400 of the aristocracy. This magnificent suite of rooms cost 
nearly .£60,000. Eleven costly and superb chandeliers are 
suspended from the ceiling of the great Ball Room, which has 
long been admired for its extent and decorations. The ceiling 
and walls are ornamented with relief figures of exauisite work- 
manship. At the Southern end of the room is one of the largest 
windows in the locality, covering nearly the breadth. Pilasters 
with Corinthian capitals are arranged on all sides. The cornice 
is rich, the frieze ornamented with groups of figures, festoons, 
and roses, delicately coloured. The ceiling is relieved by a 
great variety of splendid pateras, enwreathed with entwining 
laurel oak and vine leaves, with clusters of grapes intermingling. 
In L861, during the proprietorship of Mr. Buckman, the Ball 
Room was re-embellished with great taste and at great outlay. 
The beautiful and delicate frescos are brought out in fine relief. 

The change from village to town is also perceptible in the 
laying down of -stone pavements, and the introduction of street 
lamps. Prior to the Royal visit the only lights of a nitjht were 
those provided by Captain Skillicorne, and these were to be 
seen only on ball nights, in the avenue leading to " The Long 
Room." The Commissioners' Act of 1786, gave them the 
power of erecting 120 oil lamps in the public streets, which 
they effected in the following year. They, however, were not of 
a brilliant character, for the contract expresses il that they are 
to burn bright only one hour after the moon rises." The local 
darkness by night was not much better enlivened in more recent 
times. The Cheltenham Chronicle of 1810, contains a sugges- 
tion for painting the street posts white instead of black, to 
prevent accident by night, in consequence of the imperfect 
manner in which the town was lighted. The application of gas 
lamps to the public streets was made in 1818, under a special 
Act of Parliament, and for many years afterwards the High 
Street was alone lighted. With the exception of the Montpellier 
Promenade, which was first lighted in 1825, the houses and 
streets without the High Street were not provided with any 
means of lighting except at the expense of the owners or 
occupiers. It was a common thing to see the evening attendants 
at the Parish Church who resided " outside the High Street," 



292 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

(as the rate-books then designated it) carrying their lighted 
lantern. The author has witnessed the Rev. Sir R. Woleseley, 
Bart., who died in 1852, at the age of 92, regularly proceed 
with a lighted lantern, after the evening service, to his residence 
at the bottom of the present Eodney Terrace, followed by a 
domestic, also a lantern bearer. This now lively and cheerful 
part of the town, thirty years ago presented a very rural 
appearance, and the present Woleseley House was then a thatched 
cottage, surrounded with trees so thickly grown that scarce a 
glimpse of a residence could be seen. Woleseley Terrace occu- 
pies the site of this once wild and rural locale. What a change 
has taken place during that short period ! There are now upwards 
of .800 lamps lighted by gas, and extending over every street in 
the parish, at a cost of £4,299 annually. 

Another proof of the increase in the number of visitors and 
residents is to be found in the size and abundance of Hotels 
and Inns which now stud almost every principal street. This 
has arisen from the large number of travellers. In the 
eighteenth century, " A stage coach holding six," and a diligence 
carrying three passengers," were the only means of conveyance 
from the metropolis to the town, and then the passengers were 
set down at Frog Mill, on the London Road, and had to find 
their way as they best could. Since then upwards of seventy 
coaches have arrived and departed from Cheltenham daily, and 
the steam carriage is now incessantly pouring in, at two local 
Railway Stations, its hundreds of passengers hourly from all 
parts of the world. This state of things called into operation 
the spirit of enterprise in the erection of suitable hotels. From 
the many that belong to the place we have selected two for 
illustration on account of their architectural features and large 
extent. The Plough is the oldest establishment, and is mentioned 
in the accounts of the town long prior to the discovery of the 
Spa Waters. An original painting is preserved, representing 
it as it stood at this period. This picture suggested the larger 
ones which were used at the Centenary Fete at Pittville, in 
1840, and which represented the Plough in 1733, and as it now 
stands. 

The Plough Hotel has been gradually increasing in size and 
accommodation ever since the town was first called into notice 
by the discovery of the Mineral Waters. From first to last 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 



293 



it has enjoyed a great amount of patronage. Even so early as 
1798, in " The Cambrian Directory," a work executed by a 
gentleman after a tour, it is said, under the head Cheltenham, 
"Best Inn — the Plough Hotel." The Plough Hotel has beeu 
the place of abode of some of the most distinguished visitors 
who have honoured the town with their presence. In 1835, 
when Her Majesty's uncle, the Duke of Cambridge, was a 
sojourner, His Royal Highness selected the Plough as his place 
of residence, and expressed his satisfaction upon departiug, at 
the excellent character of the arrangements. 




Tne largest and most imposing public building of which the 
town can boast, is the Queen's Hotel, designed by E. W. 
Jerrard, Esq., and opened as an Hotel on July 21, 1838. The 
site was well calculated to display the architectural beauties of 
this noble structure, being situate on a summit commanding a 
view of the double avenue of trees forming the Promenade 
extending to the High Street, and the ever verdant range of the 
Cots wold Hills in the distance, altogether one of the most 



294 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

beautiful and picturesque situations to be found in any inland 
town in England. The Queen's Hotel has a grand portico 
entrance, combining an arcade with six lofty columns reposing 
on it. The columns and entablature are imitations of the Temple 
of Jupiter at Eome, — one of the finest structures which has been 
preserved of Horn an architecture. On the ground now occupied 
by the Queen's Hotel formerly stood the Imperial Spa, a building 
possessing architectural merit, which was removed to its present 
position in the Promenade, to give place to its more lofty 
successor. This Hotel was built in year 1837, at a cost of 
of upwards of £40,000, and comprises on the principal and 
upper floors, 70 best bed chambers, 30 servants' sleeping 
apartments, 16 elegant sitting rooms, richly embellished, and 
2 excellent suites of apartments. On the ground floor are a 
noble entrance hall and principal staircase, secondary staircases, 
spacious coffee-room, 50 feet by 22 feet, two elegant drawing 
rooms, suite of four handsome apartments, billiard rooms, and 
all requisite domestic offices. In 1852, the Hotel having been 
purchased by Mr. W. S. Davis, of the Promenade Boarding 
House, the new possessor beautified and repaired it, both within 
and without. The new proprietor has spared no expense in 
embellishing the entire building. In front of the space before 
the entrance are two fine pieces of cannon taken at Sebastopol 
in 1856, and erected on pedstals at a cost of £300 to 
commemorate the names of distinguished individuals who died 
in the war, belonging to Cheltenham. These relics of war were 
placed in their present position after a public procession on July 
5, 1858, and the ceremony of inauguration was preformed by 
Eear- Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley now Lord Eitzhardinge, and 
Col. Berkeley, M.P. They are a source of considerable attraction 
to visitors, and the artistic skill displayed in the iron-work upon 
which they are elevated, render them an ornament to the beautiful 
Promenade, whose view they terminate at the highest point. 

" We are mounted at last with due honour and state, 
We are placed where the high born, the lowly, the great, 
Repass us so often, we really feel proud, 
And consent to be silent for aye to the crowd. 
We are captured and taken, but oh ! by my side 
Your brightest, your noblest, your dear ones have died, 
As mementoes of these we are destined to be 
In Cheltenham fair home of the brave and the free." 

Cheltenham Examiner, July, 1858. 



THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 295 

" If the price of land be any criterion of the degree of esti- 
mation in which a place is held, a late sale has furnished a 
strong presumption that Cheltenham has not yet attained its 
full size and consequence ; — Of three small orchards, one 
containing little more than an acre, and divided into two lots, 
was sold for £1863 10s. ; another about an acre and a half for 
£1156 10s., and a third about two acres for £1188. Total for 
4-| acres, £4208 ! We remember this very ground selling but 
a few years ago at what was thought a high price, about £90 an 
acre." {Cheltenham Chronicle, July 20, 1809.) "A striking- 
proof of the increase of value in this place — A small house in 
the High Street, which was let 20 years back for £12, now 
returns the annual rent of one hundred guineas." — {Cheltenham 
Chronicle, 1816). The tax collector also appears to have been 
benefitted by the change. " So far back as 17 George III, the 
Spa at Cheltenham was made the first instance in this country 
of a rate being payable on any portion of the profits of mineral 
waters." — (teller J. "Prosperity of Cheltenham. — It haa 
been mentioned, as a remarkable proof of the prosperous con- 
dition of this town, that in three days there has oeen deposited, 
by servants, employees, &c, in the Permanent Mutual Benefit 
Building Society, of which Mr. J. Downing is trustee, no less a 
sum than £3,096." — (Cheltenham Examiner, June 8, 1859.) 
The publised account for 1860 of this Benefit Society shows 
the receipts for the year to have been £16, (,07 lis. 7d., and the 
assets £36,227 10s. 9d. But, perhaps no fact can more 
strikingly illustrate the great change that has taken place in the 
value of local property than the ancient and modern worth of 
the manorial rights. In .1628, when the manor was purchased 
of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. Dutton, the sum paid was only 
£1200, but when it was last purchased in 1843, it realised 
£39,000 ! Another instance of prosperous reversion was thus 
announced in the Cheltenham Chronicle in 1826 : — " In the time 
of Charles the Second, the great grandfather of Mr. Wood, the 
banker at Gloucester, purchased a quantity of land at Cheltenham 
at five pounds an acre ; which same land the latter is now selling 
at the rate of 1,000 guineas per acre." Mr. Davies, in his 
" Cheltenham Past and Present," remarks that in 1739, " Lady 
Stapleton had built for her private residence a spacious mansion, 
a short distance west of the Church, overlooking in the direction 



296 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

of the Wells, the meadow then called Church-mead, and through 
which, in after time, two gravelled footpaths conducted — the 
one to the bridge and the lower end of St. George's Place, and 
the other to the entrance of the Old Well Walk, which was 
entered over a slight draw-bridge here thrown across the Chelt. 
This mansion, then called the 'Great House, 5 was, after her 
ladyship's death, converted into a boarding-house." This house 
was the Clarence Hotel, and stood on the site of the Temporary 
Church, and the Ro\ai Crescent has been built upon Church-mead. 
According to a drawing in the possession of W. N. Skillicorne, 
Esq., taken in 1748, it would seem that not more than four 
houses of any description were then scattered over a tract of 
country which subsequently became the sites of the Crescent, 
the Promenades, the extensive districts of the Montpellier, 
Suffolk, Bays Hill, and Lausdown estates, with the populous 
surrounding neighbourhoods. 

Thus, as in the case of Weymouth and Brighton, it required 
the countenance of Royalty to stamp the fashion, which the 
King's visit did in 1783 ; since when Cheltenham has continued 
to Uiijoy, in a most marked degree, the patronage of the 
fashionable world. Indeed visitors, for the sake of pleasure and 
amusement, are now as numerous as those whofiequent the place 
for their health, and, as Dr. Gibney remarks, " the natural capa- 
bilities of the town are such that many have been tempted to make 
it their permanent residence." Cheltenham, besides being one of 
the most beautiful towns in the United Kingdom, ranks pre- 
eminently as the great attracting centre of fashionable resort; 
and to what are these its peculiar characteristics to be attributed, 
but to the great pre-eminent distinction to which the healthful 
qualities of its waters have attained ? These qualities have not 
been merely tested for a year or two, they have not just risen 
into sudden importance, into a mere ephemeral notoriety, — their 
value is the tried result of the experience of a century, — their 
fame and their advantages increasing as time progresses. For 
the mildness of its climate, as well as for its native waters, 
Cheltenham stands alike celebrated. Its vale-like situation 
shelters it from the stormy blast and wintry chill, and the houses 
being for the most part detached, a free current of air is spread 
through all parts of the town. Cheltenham is situated in 51° 
51' N. lat., and 2° 5' W long. The main body of the town lies 



THE TOWN 8INCB THE VISIT OF GEOEGE III. 297 

in an extensive basin open on the South and South West ; this 
basin is 195 feet above the level of the sea, and 135 feet above 
the level of tbe city of Gloucester. The many causes which 
rendered Cheltenham so famous induced visitors to become 
residents, and thus led to improvements of an unparalleled kind. 
During the past 30 years, crescents, terraces, promenades, spas, 
and public edifices, have followed each other in rapid succession, 
until the whole ground within the parish limits — which is 20 
miles in circumference — has been well occupied. 

To him who is worn down with disease — whose frame bespeaks 
languor and prostrated pain — the climate, waters, amusements, 
and fashionable promenades of this modern Hygeia present 
unrivalled attractions. The spas, with their beautiful and 
secluded walks, and fine architectural buildings, — the public 
balls — the horticultural shows — the gala fetes — the annual races 
— the concerts — and the extensive hunting studs of the locality, 
all combine to produce pleasing sensation-, and to relieve the 
pains of the invalid. But, we should do injustice to our subject, 
did we not state that Cheltenham has also other and higher 
characteristics to recommend it, besides those just enumerated. 
We allude to the variety of its places of worsuip, supplied with 
taithiul and eloquent pastors — to its large educational establish- 
ments — to its libraries and reading rooms, and to the advantages 
which its vicinity affords for studying the sciences of Geology 
and Botany. When we reflect upon the many important 
results, we feel amazed at the transformation which Cheltenham 
has undergoue from the mere village to the most fashionable 
town in Europe, We look back upon the revolutions of the last 
century, and ask ourselves if it be not a dream of the past, but 
our researches tell us that it is a reality. Of a truth we may say of 
Cheltenham that it stands a living monument of unparalleled pros- 
perity and celebrity, acquired by the intrinsic merit of its native 
waters. 

' 'Yes all are gone that raark'd the rural scene ! 

No more thy groves aud orchards meet the eye, 
And where the humble village once had been, 

Stand now thy sculptured buildings tow'riug high, 
And gilded spires that climb the azure sky, 

And sweeping terraces, and grand parades, 
And circling crescents ! Oh, what place can vie 

With thy fair avenues and cooling shades, 
Or boast such beauteous forms as throng thy promenades ! " 

Byrne' % Ode to Cheltenham, 



298 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

We have thus directed attention to Cheltenham past and 
present. We have seen that a century since it presented all the 
appearance of a rural village. It was then as much admired for 
its picturesque and rustic character, as it now is for its varied 
and beautiful buildings. The great transformation which the 
place has undergone can be inferred from evidence within the 
reach of all. Cheltenham originally owed its prosperity, both 
to the accidental discovery of its mineral waters, and to its 
village-like nature. Its walks were then its charm. The best 
proof that can be adduced of the high celebrity in which it has 
been so long held is the many distinguished persons who have 
made it the place of their sojourn. Perhaps no watering place 
in England can show a greater amount of public patronage than 
this town has received, as the next chapter — devoted to an 
account of " The Visits of Eminent Persons" — will fully 
demonstrate, The names still used for houses and streets are 
memorials of the sojourn of the great and wealthy, and indicate 
the localities where they resided and the titles which they held, 
such as Pauconberg, Essex, Clonbrock, Chester, Manchester, 
Norfolk, Suffolk, Berkeley, Wellington, Eegent, Portland, 
Clarence, Devonshire, Adelaide, Beaufort, Bedford, Brunswick, 
Camden, Cambridge, Exmouth, Gloucester, Grosvenor, Vernon, 
Jersey, Lansdown, Northwick, Oxford, Sussex, Sydney, York, 
Buckingham, Monson, Gordon, Marlborough, Salisbury, 
Stamford, Warwick, Wolesley, Powers-Court, Somerset, &c. 



CHAPTEE XVII. 

UMs of lEmtnmt ^raons* 



THE celebrity which Cheltenham has enjoyed since the first 
discovery of its Mineral Waters, is strikingly apparent 
from the number of eminent persons who have visited it. Here 
have repaired Eoyalty from the troubles of State — the warrior 



VISITS OP EMINENT PEESONS. 299 

from the fatigue of the battle-field — the author from the confine- 
ment of a literary life. Many of these sojourners rank amongst 
the most influential personages of modern Europe, and they 
have put on record, in many instances, the favourable impression 
which the natural beauties of the town presented to their minds. 
So early as the year 1781, seven years before the Eoyal visit, a 
number of the then visitors published a poetical volume entirely 
devoted to a description of the native attractions. One of these 
productions terminates with an invitation — 

M To taste the pleasure Chelt'uham yields, 
To breathe its air and range its fields ! 
Here all live friends ; no low-born pride 
E'er tries despotic to preside : 
Society here entwines its wreaths, 
Good nature o'er our meetings breathes ; 
Its magic look the whole obey, 
Whether at pump, at ball, or play. 
And deep in Chelt'n ham's hallo w'd bow'rs, 
The grave might spend their serious hours ; 
The gay no languor can invade, 
The poet here may court the shade, 
The beau on smiling beauty stare, 
And pale misfortune dry its tear." 
Cheltenham, 1781. J. W-n-r. 

Another very long poem devoted to a detail of the Old Well 
Walk, with its beautiful avenue of elms, then young and 
flourishing, concludes — 

" But see ! another blest retreat, 

A consecrated shade ; 
"Where neither rain, nor dog-star heat, 

Can touch the swain or maid ! 
The friendly shade fair limes compose, 

Whose branches well unite ; 
And monarchs sure might envy those 

Who share the calm delight. 

Let some the joys of London's town, 

And courtly pomps admire ; 
Or wreathe at Baths soft pleasure's crown, 

If such ambition fire ; 
Indulge »»<?, Heavens ! T ask no more, 

On this dear spot to dwell ; 
And taste of health th' untainted store, 

That flows round Chelt'nham Well." 
Cheltenham, 1781 



300 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

We have the highest satisfaction of here recording the visits 
of many noble and celebrated persons to this " Queen of 
Watering Places," commencing with one so notable and eventful 
in its results — the 

VISIT OF KING GEORGE III. 

It was a momentous day in the history of modern Cheltenham 
when the bells of the Parish Church rung to welcome the royal 
visit. Moreau, the first Master of the Ceremonies, has thus 
minutely recorded the arrival of King George the Third : — tc In 
1788, the King having been advised by his physician, Sir George 
Baker, to drink the water of Cheltenham Spa, on the 12th of 
July, at seven in the morning, their Majesties, with the Princess 
Royal, Augusta, and Elizabeth, left Windsor and proceeded to 
the Earl of Harcourt's, at iSuneham, in Oxfordshire, where they 
stopped about two hours. They, alter that, renewed their 
journey to Cheltenham, which they reached about five. Earl 
Falcon berg's house at Bays Hill was prepared for them, and the 
Earl and Countess of Courtown were ready to receive them. 
In their tour, they were attended by Lady Weymouth, the Hon. 
Col. I igby, and Col. Gwynue. It may be very readily con- 
ceived that the sight of a Sovereign so well beloved must inspire 
universal gladness ; and every testimony of affection was shown 
on the occasion. Crowds of people were assembled, and the 
bells were rung at most places on the road; an immense 
number thronged in the streets of Cheltenham, the bells pro- 
claimed the joyful intelligence, music paraded the street, and 
the festivity was concluded with a general illumination, and 
plentiful though not blameabie or licentious libations to the 
health of George III., the Queen, and the Royal Family. On 
the 14th, the King in the morning began to drink the water, 
and continued its use for a month : he was constantly at the 
Spa a little after six in the morning, when he drank a glass of 
water, and then walked half an hour with the Queen and 
Princess, who likewise used the water. After the walk, the 
King took a second glass, and about half-past 7 the Royal party 
returned to Ealconberg-house, the Queen and Princess in the 
carriage, and his Majesty on foot. About eleven, the King was 
constantly on horse- back, attended by Lord Courtown and Col. 
Digby, and followed by two of the grooms : the Queen and 



VISITS OP EMINENT PEBSONS. 301 

Princess followed in two coaches, attended by servants i Lady 
Ann Bellasayse, the amiable daughter of Earl Falconberg, con- 
stantly accompanied the Princess. About two, they returned ; 
at four they dined, and at seven appeared in the walks. Their 
rides were generally on the hills to the east of the town, but 
they frequently extended their rides to the cities, towns, and 
neighbouring seats. On the Sunday, the Royal Family attended 
Divine service at the Parish Church : Dr. Halifax, bishop of 
Gloucester, preached. On Saturday, August 1 6, they left 
Cheltenham, about eight in the morning ; they drove very slowly 
through the town. The principal inhabitants, and the nobility 
and gentry who were visitors, were assembled on both sides of 
the street opposite the Plough. When the King and Queen 
passed by, there was a very affecting scene : the King and Queen 
alternately on both sides the coach taking their leave, and the 
assembled multitude, with silent and dutiful respect, reverently 
bowing to a monarch who had conducted himself towards them 
with the courtesy of a gentleman without losing the dignity of a 
King. The music of the town played c God save the King/ in 
slow time, and the band of the 29th. Regiment answered in 
responses. Thus ended the Royal visit to Cheltenham." 

When King George III. and family were visiting the town, 
they regularly attended Divine Worship at the Parish Church. 
In the Morning Post of July 18th, 1788, is the following 
account : — 

* Cheltenham, Sunday. 

" This morning the King, Queen, and Princesses attended the 
Spa, and walked from Pauconberg Hall to the Church. They 
were received at the door by the Bishop of Worcester and the 
Rev. Mr. Freeman, Rector of the parish. This day the choir of 
select singers mustered up courage, and performed two Psalms. 
The 84th, * How pleasant are thy dwellings, Lord, 5 was a very 
good counterpart composition, and, with the help of a very good 
bassoon, was performed in a style superior to anything that could 
be expected. Their Majesties seemed to be very much pleased, 
as those performers had not resolution enough last Sunday to 
perform. The Rector had the honour of preaching the Sermon 
— text, Mathew xxv., ver. 29. After the Sermon the Bishop 
and Rector walked before their Majesties to the end of the 
churchyard, and then bowed and took leave. The Royal visitants 



302 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

walked into the High Street, attended by a great number of 
persons, particularly young men and maidens from the country, 
and then came to Coffee House Yard, they turned up the passage 
and paid a visit to Lady Mary Boulby. They staid in her 
ladyship's apartments upwards of an hour, when they returned 
through the fields to dinner. In the evening the usual walk in 
the fields, with a. vast concourse of well-dressed persons. The 
King was dressed as usual, plain blue, with the same brownbob, 
the Queen and Princesses very plain, their bonnets only com- 
manded attention — her Majesty's and the Princess Royal's very 
elegantly trimmed with light green and white ribbons, an 
improvement upon the Turc bonnets, the Princess Augusta and 
Elizabeth, bonnets of straw, trimmed in the same taste, with 
light blue." 

On the previous Sunday, the Eoyal family had attended the 
Church, and although the local choir " had not resolution enough 
to perform," yet by way of compensation, the sermon was 
preached by the celebrated Dr. Halifax, bishop of Gloucester. 

Madame D'Arblay, one of the maids of honour to her 
Majesty, and who accompanied the suite, published a ' Diary," 
from which we here give extracts : — 

She says " that the crowd gathered together upon the road, 
waiting for the King and Queen to pass, was immense, and 
almost unbroken from Oxford to Cheltenham. Every town and 
village within twenty miles seemed to have been deserted, to 
supply all the pathways with groups of anxious spectators. 
Yet, though so numerous, so quiet were they, and so new to the 
practices of a hackneyed mob, that their curiosity never induced 
them to venture within some yards of the Eoyal carriage, and 
their satisfaction never broke forth into tumult and acclamation. 
Their Majesties travelled wholly without guard or state. 

" When we arrived at Cheltenham, which is almost all one 
street, extremely long, clean, and well-paved, we had to turn out 
of the public way about a quarter of a mile, to proceed to 
Eauconberg Hall, which my Lord Eauconberg has lent for the 
King's use, during his stay at this place. 

" It is, indeed, situated in a most sweet spot, surrounded 
with lofty hills beautifully variegated, and bounded, for the 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 303 

principal object, with the hills of Malvern, which, here barren 
and there cultivated — here all chalk and there all verdure — 
reminded me of Box-hill, and gave me an immediate sensation 
of reflected as well as of visual pleasure, from giving to my new 
habitation some resemblance to Norbury Park. 

" When we had mounted the gradual ascent on which the 
house stands, the crowd all round it was as one head ! We 
stopped within twenty yards of the door, uncertain how to 
proceed. All the Royals were at the windows ; and to pass this 
multitude — to wade through it, rather — was a most disagreeable 
operation. However we had no choice , we therefore got out, 
and, leaving the wardrobe women to find their way to the ba^k 
door, Miss Planta and I glided on to the front one, where we 
saw the two gentlemen, and where, as soon as we got up the 
steps, we encountered the King. He inquired most graciouslv 
concerning our journey ; and Lady Weymouth came down stairs 
to summon me to the Queen, who was in excellent spirits, and 
said she would show me her room. ■ This, ma'am ! ' cried I, 
as 1 entered it — ' is this little room for your Majesty ? ' c O, 
stay,' cried she, laughing, ' stay till you see your own before you 
call it little ! ' 

" Soon after, she sent me up stairs for that purpose ; and 
then, to be sure, I began to think less diminutively of that I 
had just quitted. Mine, with one window, had just space to 
crowd in a bed, a chest of drawers, and three small chairs. 
The prospect, however, from the window is extremely prettv, 
and all is new and clean A little parlour, which had formerly 
belonged to Lord Fauconberg's housekeeper, is now called mine, 
and here Miss Planta and myself are to dine. But for tea we 
formed a new plan ; as Mr. Fairly had himself told me he 
understood there would be no tea-table at Cheltenham, I deter- 
mined to stand upon no ceremony with Colonel Gwynn, but 
fairly and at once take and appropriate my afternoons to my 
own inclinations. To prevent, therefore, any surprise or alter- 
cation, we settled to have our tea up-stairs. But then a 
difficulty arose as to where. We had each equally small bed 
rooms, and no dressing room, but at length we fixed on the 
passage, near a window looking over Malvern Hills and much 
beautiful country. But let me give you now an account of the 
house and accommodations. On the ground floor there is one 



304 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

large and very pleasant room, which is made the dining parlour. 
The King and Royal Family also breakfast in it, by themselves, 
except the Lady-in-waiting, Lady Weymouth. They sup there 
also, in the same manner. The gentlemen only dine with them, 
I find. They are to breakfast with us, to drink tea where they 
will, and to sup — where they can; and I rather fancy, from what 
I have yet seen, it will be commonly with good Duke Humphrey. 
A small but very neat dressing room for his Majesty is on the 
other side the hall, and my little parlour is the third and only 
other room on the ground floor ; so you will not think our 
Monarch, his consort and offspring, take up too much of the 
land called their own. 

" Over this eating parlour, on the first floor, is the Queen's 
drawing room, in which she is obliged to dress and to undress, 
for she has no toilette ap*trtment ! Who, after that, can repine 
at any inconvenience here for the household? Here after 
breakfast she sits with her daughters and her lady, and Lady 
Courtown, who, with her lord, is lodged in the town of Chelten- 
ham. And here they drink tea, and live till supper time. Over 
the King's dressing room is his bed room, and over my store 
room is the bed room of the Princess Royal ; and here ends the 
first floor. The second is divided and sub-divided into bed 
rooms, which are thus occupied. Princess Augusta and Princess 
Elizabeth sleep in two beds in the largest room. Lady 
Weymouth occupies that next largest in size, Miss Planta and 
myself have two little rooms built over the King's bed room ; 
and Mrs. Sandys and Miss Macentomb, and Lady Weymouth's 
maid, have the rest. This is the whole house ! Not a man but 
the King sleeps in it ! 

" A house is taken in the town for Mr. Fairly and Colonel 
Gwynn, and there lodge several of the servants, and among 
them Columb. The pa^es sleep in out-houses. Even the 
housemaids lodge in the town, a quarter of a mile or more from 
the house ! 

" Lord Courtown, as comptroller of the household, acts here 
for the King, in distributing his royal bounty to the wells, 
rooms, library— the identical library from which I now write, 
and which assumed its appellation of Royal from this very 
circumstance — and elsewhere. He has sent around very magni- 
ficently. 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 305 

" We are surrounded by pleasant meadows, in which I mean 
to walk a great deal. They are so quiet and so safe, I can go 
quite alone ; and when I have not a first-rate companion, my 
second best is — none at all ! 

" Monday, July 14th. — This morning I was again up at five 
o'clock, Miss Planta having asked me to accompany her to the 
wells. The Queen herself went this morning, at six o'clock, 
with his Majesty. It is distant about a quarter of a mile from 
Lord Faucouberg's. 

" Cheltenham possesses a charm for those resident in it, or 
merely sojourning for a time, more especially as by reason of 
the Eoyal visit, streets, buildings, and thoroughfares have 
acquired their present names, which perpetually recall it to the 
mind. I have elsewhere alluded to the ' wooden house ;' here 
we have the full particulars relating to it. Friday, August 
1st.— This was a very busy day ; the Duke of York was 
expected, and his fund father had caused a portable wooden 
house to be moved from the further end of Cheltenham town 
up to join to Fauconberg Hall. The task has employed twenty 
or thirty men almost ever since our arrival, and so laborious, 
slow, difficult, and all but impracticable had it proved, that it 
was barely accomplished before it was wanted. There was no 
room, however, in ths King's actual dwelling, and he could not 
endure not to accommodate his son immediately next himself. 

" His joy upon his arrival was such joy as I have only seen 
when he arrived first from Germany ; I do not mean it was 
equally violent, or alas I equally unmixed, but yet it was next 
and nearest to that which had been most perfect. Mr. Bunbury 
attended his Eoyal Highness. We had all dispersed from 
breakfast, but the King came in, and desired me to make him 
some. Mr. Fairly had brought nirn to my little parlour, and 
having called Columb, and assisted in arranging a new breakfast, 
he left us, glad, I suppose, of a morning to himself." 

This "Diary," while it gives the fullest account we have of 
the Eoyal visit, at the same time illustrates the smallness of the 
town, and how little it was then adapted to receive visitors. 
Queen Charlotte's maid of honour has also published in her 
" Diary" these incidents. We give an extract which exhibits 
the simple mode of conversation adopted by royalty : — 



306 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

" The King came into the room and said, ■ So, no Mr. Fairly 
again ? ' 

" ' No, sir ; he's very bad this morning. 5 

" < What's the matter ?— His face ? ' 

" ' No, sir, he has got the gout. These waters, he thinks, 
have brought it on. ' 

"' What in his foot V 

cc * Yes, sir; he is quite lame ; his foot is swelled prodigiously.' 

<c c So he's quite knocked up ! Can't he come out ? ' 

" ' No, sir ; he's obliged to order a gouty shoe and stay at 
home and nurse.' 

" The King declared the Cheltenham waters were admirable 
friends to the constitution, by bringing disorders out of the 
habit. Mr. Fairly, he said, had not been well for some time, 
and a smart fit of the gout might set him all to rights again. 

" Alas, thought I, a smart fit of the gout in a lonely lodging 
at a water-drinking place ! " 

" The King and Queen walked in the same state as on the 
terrace at Windsor, followed by the three Princesses and their 
attendants. Everybody stopped and stood up as they passed, 
or as they stopped themselves to speak to any of the company." 

Madame D'Arblay, the authoress of the " Diary," was a 
Miss Burney, the daughter of Dr. Buraey, the author of one of 
the early memoirs of the great Handel. Fauconberg House, 
where the Eoyal family resided, was located on Bays Hill, and 
was built by Mr. Skillicorne in 1781. From it was a fine 
commanding view of the entire country. At that time the 
whole of the present Bays Hill Estate was pasture land, inter- 
sected with shady groves, and ornamented with fine and wide- 
spreading trees. The Eoyal mansion was therefore surrounded 
with a natural park, and must have been a delightful change 
from a metropolitan Palace. This mansion has only recently 
been pulled down, and our sketch, engraved from a drawing 
kindly supplied by W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., represents it as it 
stood. We also give two other artistic illustrations, one of 
which shows a view of the town from the King's house at the 
time of the Eoyal residence, and another taken from the spot as 
it now stands studded with mansions. The furniture used by 
the Eoyal Monarch was sold by auction in 1856, by Mr. Villar, 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 



307 



and many " relics of Royalty" were scattered among collectors. 
The antique bedstead on which his Majesty slept during his 
sojourn, passed into the hands of F. Finden, Esq., of Prestbury. 




"The bedstead on which George III. slept, when visiting 
Cheltenham in the year 1788, was sold by Mr. James Yillar, at 
an auction at Fielding's Victoria Hotel, Winchcomb Street, on 
Wednesday. The purchaser wr-s F. Findon, Esq., of Prestbury." 
— Cheltenham Journal, July, 1856. A dressing table of curious 
design, and of oak, belonging to the King's " small room" 
mentioned in the "Diary," is possessed by the author. The 
glass which the Boyai Monarch regularly drank from at the Old 
Wells is still preserved at that establishment. 

The impression which the scenery of Cheltenham made upon 
the Eoyal mind is strikingly apparent from an incident which 
occurred some time afterwards. " In 1788, when George III. 
was at Weymouth, he was enjoying his evening walk on the 
Esplanade, when suddenly encountering a face which he recog- 
nized, he desired one of his suite to request to know if the 
gentleman was not from Cheltenham. The gentleman in 
question having advanced, was introduced to his Majesty, who 
seemed delighted at an opportunity of making many almost 
paternal enquiries with respect to the town, its prosperity aDd 



308 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 



general condition ; saying with peculiar emphasis, 5 Ah, you 
have come from one of the finest counties of England, and good 
as Dorsetshire may be, it can bear no comparison with Chelten- 
ham and the vale of Gloucester, the finest part of my kingdom 
that I have beheld' "—Weller. 




VIEW FROM BAYS HILL, 1854. 

The following anecdotes are recorded : — cc One day he rode 
out to Burley, and the weather being rainy, wore his great coat. 
On his return, he overtook a farmer, with his drove of sheep. 
His Majesty rode with him for a quarter of an hour, conversing 
upon the value and properties of the land, and the prices of 
sheep and cattle. After satisfactorily answering ail his Majesty's 
inquiries, the farmer, grown familiar, asked the gentleman if he 
had seen the King, and being answered in the affirmative, he no 
doubt supposing that his Majesty always appeared, as in signs 
of alehouses, in his coronation robes, said, 4 Our neighbours 
say he is a good sort of a man, but dresses very plain.' — c Aye,' 
said the King, ' as plain as I do/ and rode on." " His 
Majesty's servants played at cricket, (the King having sent to 
London for bats and balls,) lest they should sicken for want of 
exercise." " The Highman Palantine performed his conjura- 
tions before the Royal family. He requested the King to cut a 
bit of silk out of the Queen's gown, with which his Majesty 
very condescendingly complied, and the juggler in an instant 
replaced it" " Being straitened for want of room at the lodge, 
the King, who had taken notice of a neatly built timber house, 



VISITS OP EMINENT PERSONS. 309 

at the end of the town, conceived that it might be removed in a 
few days, and be placed upon an elevated spot at no great 
distance from the roval residence. Mr. Ashton, an ingenious 
mechanic and surveyor, undertook to do it. It was accordingly 
effected, though there was a bridge to pass, and an ascent of 50 
feet, between July 22nd and 28th." — Gentleman's Magazine 
for 1788. 

The Morning Post in 1788 recorded the local movements of 
Eoyalty in paragraphs such as the following : — 

" Lord Fauconberg's house, occupied by their Majesties, is 
most delightfully situated, about a quarter of a mile from 
Cheltenham. Their Majesties arrived at Cheltenham at five 
o'clock on Saturday evening, July 12th. There were no guards, 
and only four footmen with the carriage, &c. Nothing pleased 
the inhabitants more than the unguarded manner in which his 
Majesty lived, conversed, and moved about among his faithful, 
his devoted subjects— like a father in the midst of his children." 

" On Monday evening, July 21st, his Eoyal Highness the 
Prince of Wales arrived here, on a short visit to their Majesties. 
On the 1st of August, his Eoyal Highness the Duke of York 
arrived, and occupied the Wooden House, originally erected in 
the town, and carried up to Bays Hill entire on the 28th of July," 

VISITS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 

The good impression made on the minds of the junior 
members of the Eoyal family by the visit of 1788 was not 
forgotten in after years. From that time to the present, descen- 
dants of the noble line, when sojourning in the town, have 
enquired for the residence of their Eoyal ancestor, and sought 
out every incident that they could glean concerning him. 

The Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Fourth, 
who accompanied his Eoyal Sire, paid Cheltenham a second 
visit in 1806, when Prince Eegent. lie testified his respect to 
the courtesy shown him and his Eoyal relatives by giving a 
ball, at which the leading nobility and gentry were invited. It 
was one of the largest and most fashionable gatherings the 
locality ever witnessed, and is alluded to in the Cheltenham 
Chronicle, when detailing a similar event in connection with the 
Duke of Wellington's visit. In 1821, the Prince, then George 



310 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the Fourth, went on a tour to Ireland. In returning, he selected 
the route to the metropolis that included Cheltenham, and 
again had an .opportunity of witnessing the scenes of his youth 
on September 14th of the above year. 

The Duke of Gloucester paid his first visit in 1807, 
and continued an annual sojourn for 29 years afterwards, until 
the time of his decease. The length of time which the noble 
Duke spent at Cheltenham, as well as the frequency of his visits, 
tended greatly to advance the popularity of the place. In 1819, 
Colonel Berkeley entertained his Eoyal Highness the Duke of 
Gloucester and party with great magnificence at Berkeley 
Castle, all the principal nobility in the county receiving invita- 
tions to meet the Eoyal guest. After a stay of about one week 
the Duke proceeded to Woodchester Park, near Stroud, to pay a 
similar visit to Lord Ducie, who then resided on that estate. 

The Duke of Sussex arrived in the town on September 
26, 1809. He joined his noble relative, the Duke of Gloucester, 
who was then staying here, and the two distinguished guests 
mingled with the amusements then in progress. They were 
together present at a sermon preached at the Parish Church, on 
behalf of the County Infirmary. The preacher was the Kev. 
B. Capel Hemming, and after a sermon from the text Luke 
x., 37— " Go thou and do likewise," the sum of £57 17s. 6d. 
was collected. The Duke of Sussex went on a visit to Berkeley 
Castle, where he remained until his return to the Metropolis. 

His Serene Highness the Prince of Orange was 
visiting Cheltenham at the same time, and formed one of the 
Eoyal party. 

Queen Adelaide arrived on July 31, 1827. Her Majesty 
and suite occupied apartments at a newly built hotel near the 
Eoyal Crescent. The proprietor, after her Majesty's departure, 
named the building " The Clarence," and placed the Eoyal 
Arms over the portico. The establishment was afterwards 
removed to " The Queen's," and the former residence of royalty 
is now used as a Magistrate's Office and local Police Station. 

Queen Victoria passed through the town, en route, accom- 
panied by her Hoyal parent, the Duchess of Kent, on August 
14, 1830, in an open carriage, and received the congratulations 
of the inhabitants. Her Majesty, Prince Albert, and Eoyal 
Family have twice since that period passed through Cheltenham 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 311 

by rail, and although the public officials had made every prepara- 
tion to pay respect to royalty, yet the previous arrangements of 
the Royal household would not permit the train to be stayed in 
its progress. The clergy, and the children of the various Charity 
and Sunday Schools assembled together, with an immense 
concourse of spectators, to welcome her Majesty and suite as 
they passed through the station. 

The Duke of Cambridge honoured the town with his 
presence on July 16, 1835. "His Royal Highness the Duke 
of Cambridge arrived in this town on Wednesday evening from 
Warwick, when he was greeted by a merry peal from the bells of St. 
Mary's. On Thursday, his Royal Highness paid a visit to Pitt- 
ville, with which he expressed himself highly delighted, and much 
admired the disposal of the grounds, the lake, and pump room. 
In the course of the day he also visited the Old King's Wells and 
the Montpellier. On Friday, his Royal Highness, accompanied 
by Sir William Burdett and suite, paid a visit to Fauconberg 
House (now the Bayshill School) near the Old Wells, which was 
occupied by his Royal Highness's late father. His Royal 
Highness was conducted by Mr. Fallon, the proprietor, through 
every apartment, and appeared to take great interest in viewing 
the bed-room, study, &c, of his late Majesty George the Third. 
After remaining a considerable time in the study, and expressing 
his admiration at the rich views obtained from various parts of 
the building, his Royal Highness departed for Gloucester, from 
whence he returned in the evening and dined with Sir William 
Burdett. In the course of the evening, the following address, 
numerously signed, although got up after one o'clock on Friday, 
was presented to his Royal Highness, by whom it was most 
graciously received :— 

" ' We, the undersigned Inhabitants of Cheltenham, most respectfully approach 
your Royal Highness to offer our faithful and respectful assurances of the high 
sense we entertain of the honour you have been graciously pleased to confer on 
our favoured Town, by enabling us at this your visit to embrace the hurried 
opportunity of assuring your Royal Highness of our sincere and heartfelt attach- 
ment to your Royal Highness and August Family/ 

" His Royal Highness left Cheltenham this morning at a 
quarter after eight, for Windsor, where he will dine with his 
Majesty." — Cheltenham Free Press, July, 1835. 

"July 16. — Queen Victoria's uncle, the Duke of Cambridge, 
arrived. During his sojourn he visited Bays Hill House, 



312 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

formerly the residence of King George III.. His Eoyal 
Highness examined the principal apartments in the house, 
respecting all of which he made very particular enquiries, and 
seemed to take great interest in whatever related to a spot which 
his Eoyal father's partiality and affection for, had rendered so 
celebrated. The party then returned and proceeded through 
the Eoyal Old Wells to the Montpellier, where a large concourse 
of our more fashionable visitors and residents awaited His 
Eoyal Highness's arrival. The Eoyal party next proceeded to 
the Montpellier gardens, and then returned to the Plough Hotel 
to breakfast. In course of the day, his Eoyal Highness visited 
Pittville, its pump room, pleasure grounds, and promenades, 
and inspected the other parts of the town and neighbourhood, 
the delightful situation of which, and the perfect order and 
general arrangement which prevailed throughout every part, 
called forth repeatedly from his Eoyal Highness the warmest 
eulogiums." — Looker- On, July 18, 1835. 

Sir W. Burdett, Bart., Sir J. Eeynett, and Captain Kirwan, 
M.C., had the honour of accompanying the Duke of Cambridge 
to the principal objects of interest in and near the town. 

Prince George of Cambridge. — On September 5th, in 
the same year, the town was honoured with a visit from the 
Prince George of Cambridge, who inspected the same spots of 
interest in much the same order of route as did his Eoyal parent, 
the Duke of Cambridge, in the July previous. 

The Dtjke of Brunswick inspected the principal objects 
of interest in the town, and expressed himself pleased with the 
natural beauties of the locality, on September 28, 1836, 

VISIT OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, 

" All hail ! great Wellington ! victorious chief, 
Most gladlj I afforded thee relief, 
For inward plaints which haunt the human frame, 
With joy my raptur'd guests beheld thee here, 
When thou my walks didst with thy presence cheer ; 
With admiration on thy person gaz'd, 
And with thy glorious deeds were highly pleas'd; 
The object which they for a season deem 
Worthy alone to be their constaut theme. 
And well hast thou deserv'd that high renown, 
Which on thy deathless name confers a crown/ ' 

Tovey't Cheltea. 



VISITS OP EMINENT PERSONS. 313 

" Sir Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington — the hero of a 
hundred fields, in all of which his banner has waved in triumph ; 
who never — I invoke both hemispheres to witness — bear witness 
Europe, bear witness Asia — who never advanced but to cover 
his arms with glory ; the captain who never advanced but to 
be victorious, the mightier captain who never retreated but to 
eclipse the glory of his advance. By the yet harder task of 
unwearied patience, indomitable to lassitude, the inexhaustible 
resources of transcendant skill, showing the wonders, the 
marvels of a moral courage never yet subdued." — Speech of 
Lord Brougham in Cheltenham Examiner ', Sept. 4, 1839. 

It is an interesting fact connected with local history that the 
" hero of a hundred fights," the greatest Captain of the age — 
he whose career was one unclouded day, filled with renowned 
actions, repaired from the "din of war" to seek renewed 
strength and energy by drinking the waters and breathing the 
salubrious air of the " Queen of Watering Places." After the 
memorable Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington and 
family repaired to France, but even the gaieties of Paris had 
not such attractions as Cheltenham, in the mind of the Duke, 
and consequently he decided upon departing from the French 
metropolis and partaking of those mineral waters which have 
ever been proverbial for their health-restoring properties. As 
soon as it became known that the great warrior was expected, 
a public meeting was convened of the inhabitants, at which the 
late Earl Fitzhardinge presided. It was there decided that a 
demonstration of popular feeling should be made, jand a com- 
mittee was appointed, and ample funds raised for the purpose. 
The Duke of Wellington arrived in Cheltenham on July 7, 
L816. Three triumphal arches were erected, one on a large 
scale for the purpose of carriages, and a smaller one on either 
side for foot passengers. These were located at the High Street 
entrance to Cambray, and extended from the premises now occu- 
pied by Mr. Notcutt, chemist, to those on the opposite side 
occupied by Mr. White, grocer. These arches were lofty, and 
well- executed works of art. They were erected of wood, painted 
to imitate stone, and portraits of the Duke, and names of the 
principal battles in which he had been engaged were con- 
spicuously represented. The arches, together with the principal 
houses of the town, were illuminated for several successive 



314 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

evenings. On the day after the Duke's arrival, the address 
decided upon at the public meeting was presented. The depu- 
tation consisted of the late Earl Fitzbardinge, Lord Clarina, 
Sir W. Cunningham, Sir Arthur Brooke Faulkner, General 
Merrick, and other residents. The noble Earl, then Colonel 
Berkeley, was selected to read to his Grace the following 
address : — " My lord, — We the inhabitants and visitors of 
Cheltenham, animated with the liveliest sentiments of joy at 
your Grace's arrival amongst us, hail your return to England, 
after so many glorious and unparalleled triumphs over her 
enemies, with the most heart-felt congratulations. Though we 
have been accustomed to dwell with delight on the brilliant 
victories of our troops led on by your Grace's consummate skill 
and valour, yet your actual presence in this place, has with a 
peculiar force revived our admiration for the illustrious author 
of those achievements. It is our most fervent prayer, that the 
object which has procured us the honour of your Grace's visit, 
may speedily be crowned with the happiest results to yourself 
and to the country." To the address the Duke returned a most 
gracious reply. 

On July 9, the Duke and Duchess attended the theatre, which 
was crowded to excess. On the following Monday, they formally 
opened the Assembly Eooms, which cost nearly £60,000, and 
were there welcomed by one of the most fashionable crowds 
ever assembled beneath its roof, numbering upwards of fourteen 
hundred of the aristocracy. On Thursday the Duke left for 
London, having received an invitation to dine with the Prince 
"Regent on the following day, and did not return again to 
Cheltenham until the middle of the ensuing week, when he 
resumed his course of the waters, and rode out round the sur- 
rounding country every day, always accompanied by Lord Fitzroy 
Somerset, or other officers of his suite. During his stay he 
received many invitations from the neighbouring gentry. He 
was entertained at Berkeley Castle by Colonel Berkeley, and a 
similar compliment was paid him by the Mayor and Corporation 
of Gloucester, who, on Tuesday, July 30th, gave a splendid 
banquet in his honour, the Duke of Beaufort, the Earl of Liver- 
pool, and other distinguished personages being also present at 
the dinner. On Wednesday, the 31st of July, the Duke left 
Cheltenham on his return for the metropolis, proceeding, in the 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 315 

first instance, to the Earl of Bathurst's seat, near Cirencester, 
there to spend a few days, and thence to the Marquis of Bath's. 
The Duchess of Wellington, with the children, took their 
departure next day for London. On leaving Cheltenham, its 
illustrious visitor made donations to the National School of 
£30, and to the Dispensary and School of Industry each £10 ; 
the Duchess also giving £10 to the first, and £5 to each of the 
latter. 

The house in which the Duke and family resided during their 
visit was the original Cambray House, but afterwards called 
Wellington Mansion. It was the property and residence of 
Colonel Kiddell, and was at the time, one of the best places 
that could have been secured. It was surrounded with pleasure 
grounds tastefully laid out, which extended from the present 
Wellington Street along the Chelt to the Bath Road. This once 
celebrated establishment is now no more ; the site being 
partially occupied by buildings. Colonel Riddell, the owner, 
being desirous of retaining some remembrance of the Duke 
having occupied the premises, his Grace, at his suggestion, con- 
sented to plant an oak in the pleasure grounds fronting the 
house, which was accordingly done with great ceremony, on 
Monday, the 22nd of July, being the anniversary of the battle 
of Salamanca, — the Duke's two sons, the then youthful Marquis 
of Douro and Lord C. Weilesley, with Lord Hill, Lord Lynedock, 
and other distinguished characters, taking part in the pro- 
ceedings. But, it was considered, that some more obvious 
memorial should also be made. Consequently, in the following 
year, an obelisk in the Egyptian style was erected by the side of 
the youthful oak planted by the Duke. This obelisk was 
surrounded by an iron palisading. On the pillar, resting upon 
a massive pedestal, were sculptured emblematical representations 
of the great hero's victories. It continued standing for twenty- 
seven years, when it was sold by auction in 1843, and purchased 
for building purposes, In a sunk pannel, beneath a bass-relief 
bust of the Duke, was the following inscription : — " Almighty 
and most merciful God, vouchsafe to accept our humble endea- 
vours in offering a tribute of praise to Thee, the Giver of 
Victory, that Thou wast pleased to select and to protect his 
Grace the Duke of Wellington and his brave associates in arms 
— to unite in one cause, nations with whom we had been at 



316 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

enmity, and aided by their assistance, to subdue the common 
foe ; who had for many years disturbed and overthrown 
kingdoms. Accept our most fervent prayers and thanksgiving, 
thpt this town should have been selected, from its invigorating 
springs, to renovate the health of our illustrious Hero, who, 
with his amiable consort and noble Children, planted the Oak, 
to commemmorate which this Obelisk is erected. This Tree, 
to all appearance dead, was, by Thy Almighty power, incom- 
prehensible to the mind of man, restored, and is now flourishing 
in full vigour. Let it remind us that we also must die — at the 
same time let us hope, that through Thy goodness and the 
mediation of our blessed Saviour, we may rise to life immortal. 
— Amen." 

The Duke of Wellington again visited Cheltenham in 1828. 
His Grace arrived on August 15th, and departed on August 
31st, residing at the Priory, the property of Captain Marshall, 
the then M.C., and an officer who had served under the Duke 
in the Peninsula. The Duke regularly drank the waters every 
morning at the Old Wells, and afterwards repaired to the 
Montpellier Promenades and mingled with the fashionable 
throng. On Thursday, August 21st, the Duke patronized a 
Promenade Ball at the Montpellier Eotunda : on the following- 
Monday a Dress Ball at the Assembly Rooms, and on Tuesday 
the Theatre. At the period of the noble Duke's second visit, 
the following members of the aristocracy were in the town : — 
Prince Schwartzenburg, the Princess Esterhazy, Prince Hazel- 
burg, Prince Puckler Muskau, the Dukes of Buckingham, 
Beaufort, and Manchester, the Earls of Po wis, Digby, Bathurst, 
Somers, Beauchamp, and other lords, ladies, and branches of our 
nobility. Accompanied by Lord Eitzroy Somerset, Sir E. 
Harvey, his private Secretary, and the other members of his 
suite, the Duke of Wellington went every morning, at half-past 
seven, to the Old Wells, to drink the waters, the distinguished 
party, on the occasion, being always accompanied and followed 
by great crowds of pecple, eager to obtain a sight of the hero 
of Waterloo. His Grace, when visiting the Spa, subscribed 
both to the support of the establishment, and also towards the 
expenses of the band of music which daily performed. He 
entered his donations under date in the subscription books open 



VISITS OP EMINENT PERSONS. 317 

in the rooms ; and as a memento of the great Hero, we hjre 
transcribe his autograph. 

During the period the town was honoured with this visit the 
elite of the English nobility came here to meet the hero of 
Waterloo. We give by way of illustrating the local feeling then 
prevalent, the annexed extracts from the only paper then 
published in the town — the Cheltenham Chronicle — which will 
form a guide of the movements of the great hero : — 

11 His Grace, accompanied by Lord Fitzroy Somerset (the late 
Lord Raglan) arrived at the mansion of Colonel Riddle, in 
Cambray, on Sunday afternoon, at 5 o'clock. The house was 
previously occupied by the Duchess of Wellington and family, 
who had arrived two days before to make the necessary arrange- 
ments for the Duke's visit. On the day of his arrival the lawn 
in front of the mansion was thronged by an assemblage of 
persons of the highest rank, anxious to see and greet the_ noble 
hero, who had fought so well his country's battles — the states- 
man whose consummate skill had reconciled the jarring interests 
of rival states — the chastiser of the once formidable Bonaparte, 
the emancipator of the Continent, and the restorer of the peace 
of Europe. Colonel Riddle had the honour of conducting the 
Duchess of Wellington to church on Sunday morning, and her 
grace was the { observed of all observers.' " — July 11, 1816. 

" Since the ball at Cheltenham a few years since, which the 
Prince of Wales honoured with his presence, never was seen 
such a constellation of beauty and rank and fashion as at the 
Assembly Rooms on Wednesday evening, which the Duke and 
Duchess of Wellington had graciously promised to attend. 
The company amounted to six hundred. The duchess was in 
the rooms in the early part of the evening. Soon after ten 
o'clock the Duke arrived, amidst the acclamations of persons 
assembled in the street, the band playing, ' See, the conquering 



318 HISTOET OF CHELTENHAM. 

hero comes.' The passages and staircase of the rooms were 
brilliantly illuminated, and a beautiful transparency of Britannia 
held a medallion with a striking likeness of the illustrious hero. 
His Grace was dressed in mourning, with the garter and star of 
the Garter, and round his cravat was a superb collar of scarlet 
enamel set in gold and diamonds, being the collar ot some 
foreign order of knighthood."— July 18, 1816. 

" The second ball under the auspices of the Duke and Duchess 
of Wellington, was honoured beyond all former precedent. As 
early as eight o'clock, the bustle of fashion began, and before 
eleven the truly superb Assembly Booms contained upwards of 
1400 personages of distinction." — Aug. 1, 1816. 

The noble Duke's second visit is also recorded in the same 
local paper for 1828 : — " The enthusiasm with which the Duke 
was everywhere welcomed on this occasion of his second visit, 
was almost equal to that which his presence inspired in 1816, 
when he visited the place after the pacification of Europe, when 
all his victor laurels were at their greenest. The Duke, in 
addition to all his military influence and renown, was now also 
Prime Minister of England, and was, consequently, not quite so 
easy of access as on the occasion of his former visit ; the cares 
of State and Government now resting upon him necessarily 
absorbing a great deal of his time, and occupying his constant 
thought and attention. During his stay in Cheltenham, which, 
upon this oocasion, extended from August 15 to August 31, the 
Duke, as on his former visit, regularly drank the waters at the 
Eoyal Old Wells, proceeding there every morning shortly after 
half-past seven, and generally promenading up and down the elm 
tree avenue for about twenty minutes. After his second glass, he 
usually mingled with the company at the adjoining Montpellier 
— then in the height of its fashionable reputation — conversing 
with the nobility and gentry patronising this Spa, who, from 8 
to 10 o'clock every morning, were accustomed to throng its 
Promenade, listening to the music of the excellent military band 
then attached to the establishment, and the discontinuance of 
which has contributed materially to alter the character of the 
Cheltenham seasons. About half-past eight the Duke left on 
his return home ; on his exit, sometimes turning into the shop 
of Mr. Abraham, the optician, (then adjoining the Pump Eoom), 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 319 

to look at the barometer, and to speculate with the old gentle- 
man on the probable state of the weather ; at others, looking 
in at Mawe's Museum, a building then occupying the site of 
the present Montpellier Exchange, and an object, in those days, 
of considerable attraction to the visitors of Cheltenham. 
Eeturning to the Priory by nine, his Grace then breakfasted; 
and this — with him, plain and simple — meal disposed of, he 
immediately proceeded to examine the mass of letters and 
despatches which awaited his attention, and to reply to such of 
them as required answers. Among them were always a great 
many from old soldiers and officers' widows, and other appli- 
cants and petitioners soliciting the Duke's interest or assistance, 
to all of which some courteous answer was invariably returned. 
Attention to this mass of correspondence regularly occupied 
from two to four hours of the morning, according to the 
character of the documents which required his attention ; and 
replies to which were never allowed to accumulate or get into 
arrear. These duties performed, the Duke then usually mounted 
his horse, and rode out for an hour or two, generally unattended, 
except by his servant, but occasionally accompanied by friends, 
who sometimes started with him from his own door, at others 
joined him on his ride. At four o'clock every day his Grace 
visited the Montpellier Baths, and there took a warm bath, in 
which he always remained an hour, during * which time he 
uniformly read the newspapers, never bringing less than eight 
or ten with him, and having a frame set across the bath for the 
purpose of keeping the paper open while he glanced over its 
contents. From the Baths the Duke returned home to dinner, 
and seldom went out after, unless when invited by particular 
friends, or for the purpose of patronizing some of the public 
amusements, which, however, he was not very fond of doing. 
Among the entertainments thus honoured, on one occasion was 
the Promenade Ball, at the Montpellier Rotunda, at that time, 
and for several years after, the most fashionable of all the 
amusements of Cheltenham. The announcement of the Duke's 
intention to be present brought, of course, a great crowd to the 
ball of Thursday, August 21, upwards of seven hundred persons 
attending. His Grace arrived about half- past nine, and remained 
for one hour — entering into familiar conversation with Sir 
Thomas Lethbridge and several general officers present on the 



320 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

occasion. On the Tuesday following, the Duke patronized the 
Dress Ball at the Assembly Rooms, returning for this purpose 
from Badminton, where he had gone the previous day, on a visit 
to the Duke of Beaufort. On the evening following, he 
patronized the Theatre ; Madame Vestris, who had j ust 
commenced her engagement for the season, being honoured with 
'a bespeak* for the Rencontre and the farce of The £100 Note'' 

Wellington Mansion, where the great hero resided, having 
been pulled down, its site was in 1862, converted into a nursery 
garden and occupied by Mr. Pipe. 

The repeated visits of the great hero had rendered his person 
familiar both to residents and visitors. When the news came 
of his decease every outward token of respect to his memory 
was shown. An excellent funeral sermon was preached at the 
Parish Church by the Incumbent, which was published and 
had a wide circulation. As a testimony of respect to departed 
worth, a subscription was set on foot, and a special and superb 
edition of the sermon was printed at the office of the Cheltenham 
Examiner, and presented to her Majesty, through the Hon. Col. 
Phipps, who acknowledged the same in the following most 
gratifying reply : — 

"Buckingham Palace, Feb. 17, 1853. 

" Sir, — I had the honour to present to her Majesty the Queen, 
the copy of the sermon preached by the Bev. F. Close, on the 
funeral of the late Duke of Wellington. Her Majesty has been, 
pleased very graciously to accept this sermon, and I am com- 
manded to request you to convey to the subscribers — by the 
means of whose subscriptions this copy was reprinted and bound 
for her Majesty — the Queen's high appreciation of the good 
feeling of those who thus testified their sympathy in the 
mournful regrets which her Majesty, in common with her 
people, feels for the irreparable loss which the nation has 
sustained. 

" I have the honour to be, Sir, 

" Your obedient humble servant, 

" C. B. PHIPPS." 
" G. Norman, Esq." 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 321 

VISITS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF FRANCE. 

The exiled family of the unfortunate Louis XVI., arrived on 
May 25th, 1811. They consisted of the daughter and son-in- 
law of the ill-fated monarch — the Duke and Duchess of 
Angauleme. They resided at Sheldon's, afterwards called the 
" York," in the High Street. Cheltenham presented such 
attractions to them, that in two years afterwards they again 
paid another visit ; and from that time to the present, some of 
the branches of these exiles appear on our " arrival list." 
" Among the foreign noblesse which at present honour this 
towm, are La Duchesse D'Angaulerne, and La Compte D'Artois. 
Louis XVII. is expected on Monday. ' The former at present 
resides in Cambray Lodge. La Duchesse D'Angauleme, only 
daughter of Louis XVI., married the only son of his brother 
Count D'Artois. The son of the Count D'Artois is the present 
Duke D'Angauleme, and the sole surviving child of the ill- 
fated monarch. This interesting couple were regarded as the 
union which should and might perpetuate the claimants to the 
throne of their ancestors. They were driven from Courland, 
their last continental retreat, by the policy of the present 
Alexander, when he had formed his first alliance with Bonaparte. 
In England they were never received at court by the king, but 
they have experienced the most delicate and marked hospitality 
from the Grenville family, and lately from the Prince Eegent." 
{Cheltenham Chronicle, July 22, 1813). 

Louis XVIII. — " Louis XVIII. arrived in this town on 
Monday, and joined the Duchesse at her residence in Cambray" 
[Cheltenham Chronicle, Aug. 5, 1813.) During their stay, they 
visited Boddington Manor House, and paid repeated visits to 
the Salts Manufactory. 

Ex-Queen of Wurtemburg. — " Among our arrivals this 
week we have to announce that of the Ex- Queen of Wurtemburg, 
wife of Jerome Bonaparte, a lady rendered peculiarly interesting 
by her beauty and misfortunes, and amiable manner." {Cheltenham 
Chronicle, Aug. 10, 1815). 

Louis Philippe, King of the French, (when Duke of 
Orleans), and family arrived on July 12, 1816, and after 
drinking the waters for nearly three months, were sufficiently 
restored to health to depart in the September following. 

The many visits paid to the town by different members of the 



322 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

royal family of France, at once proves the estimation in which 
the place is held by foreign nations. An interesting incident 
has lately been brought to light in reference to the royal visitor 
last recorded : 

" His Royal Highness the Due D'Aumale, who presided at the 72nd anniversary 
of the Royal Literary Fund Dinner, held at the Freemason's Tavern, related the 
following anecdote in reference to English literature : — ' I cannot pretend to be 
'thoroughly acquainted with your literature, but if 1 know something oi it, I owe 
it to two circumstances. The first is, that I was educated by a father who had 
been an exile, as I am now, who had found on your shores the same hospitable 
shelter, and who both knew and loved your country, your language, the great 
works of your literature, as well, I suppose, as any foreigner ever did or can. 
I remember that in the earliest days of my life, when he was himself free from 
all political responsibility, in the happy and quiet evenings of Neuilly, he used 
often, after having shown to his children the eDgraved portraits of celebrated 
men and told their deeds, or plates which commemorated the military achievements 
of our countrymen, to take down from the shelves of the library some huge folio 
volume of BoydelVs Illustrated Shakspeare, a copy which he had bought himself 
at the Auction-room at Cheltenham, and give us an outline of the finest scenes of 
your great dramatist, reciting occasionally some of the beautiful passages which had 
remained engraved in his wonderful memory. That was my first impression of 
English literature, and one which will never be effaced from my mind ; for it is 
connected with one cf mv earliest recollections of the best of fathers.' " 
{Times, May, 1861). 

It was in 1816, as will be seen, that Louis Philippe was on 
a visit to the town, when he purchased the works of the immortal 
bard. He had a residence at Twickenham, near London, from 
whence he often made excursions with his family for the joint 
purpose of improving their health and making them acquainted 
with England. When in Cheltenham he was Duke of Orleans, 
and free from the troubles of the State, and devoted his time to 
the education of his family. He had traversed a portion of the 
globe previously, an exile and in poverty. In fourteen years 
after his visit to this town, he was unanimously elected King of 
the vast nation of the Trench. 

The Duke de Nemoues and suite paid a visit on Sept. 10, 
1835. His Eoyal Highness, the son of Louis Philippe, King of 
the French, inspected the principal objects of interest in the 
neighbourhood. In three years afterwards, the Duke's Eoyal 
Mother, the late Queen of Prance, and daughter of King 
Perdinand of Naples, and her suite, paid a visit to this town, 
where she had been a sojourner thirty-two years previously, with 
her then infantine family. 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 323 

The Ex-Queen of the French arrived on Sept. 7, 1858. 
<c The Ex-Royal Family of France, with a brilliant suite, paid a 
visit to Cheltenham on Thursday last. The royal party con- 
sisted of the late Queen Marie Amelie, the Compte de Paris, 
the Due de Chortres, Prince Philippe of Wurtemburg, the Prince 
and Princess de Joinville, the Princess Blanche, the Princess 
Francois, and the Prince Ponthiew. The suite comprised the 
Compte and Compiesse de Chabannes, the Marquis Blanvoir, 
Baron Guttenberg, Madlle. Musen, Madlle. St. Aubin, M. le 
Abbe Crabat, M. Guerard, and M. Allaire. During the morning 
they visited the Royal Old Wells, and tasted the waters, and 
afterwards proceeded to inspect Lord Northwick's Picture 
Gallery at Thirlestaine House" [Chelt. Journal, Sept. 9, 1858 ) 

Shenstone the eminent Poet, paid his first visit on Feb. 18, 
1734, and his second in 1762. From the following letter 
written by him during his stay, it will be seen that a curious 
custom prevailed in Cheltenham at that time — namely, the 
rewarding of the curate of the parish annually with a new hat, 
in acknowledgment of the best sermon preached on a particular 
occasion at the Parish Church. This curious epistle is published 
in " Hull's Select Letters," and is as follows : 

"Cheltenham, 1762. 

" To Mrs. A . I am but just arrived at home, though I left Cheltenham the 

day after you. I stayed indeed to hear Mr. B preach a morning sermon, for 

which I find Mrs. C— — has allotted him the hat preferable to Mr. C . 

Perhaps you do not remember, nor did 1 hear until very lately, that there is a 
hat given annually at Cheltenham for the use of the best preacher, of which the 

disposal is assigned to Mrs. C , to her and to her heirs for ever. I remember 

I used to be a little misdeemful that all who preached there had some such 
premium in their eye. The hat, it is true, is not quite as valuable as a Cardinal's, 
but while it is made a retribution for excellence, in so, (if properly considered), 
it is an object for a preacher in any degree. I am sorry, at the same time, to say 
that as a common hat, merely for its uses, it would be an object to too many 
country curates, whose situations and. slender incomes too often excite our blushes 
as well as our compassion. 

" Shenstone." 

Dr. Johnson, so intimately connected with the spread of 
the English language by the means of his " Dictionary," was 
a visitor. According to the Gentleman s Magazine, this was in 
1749, and "The Rambler," published in following years, makes 
allusion to some of the beautiful scenery of the locality. 
Under date of Feb. 19, 1757, there is a comparison drawn 



324 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

between the fashionable parties of Cheltenham, Scarborough, 
and other places, which would lead to the inference that he must 
several times have been a sojourner. 

Handel, whose divine Messiah has immortalized him to all 
future generations, sought the invigorating air and medicinal 
waters of Cheltenham to strengthen his frame after intellectual 
application. According to the Gentleman s Magazine, it was in 
1744, after the completion of this most magnificent composition, 
that the great man was a visitor. In an English review of 
Schoeler's Life, it is said that the Messiah was produced in 
Dublin in 1742, and that its author returned to London and 
reaped so great a pecuniary reward, that he was enabled to make 
several provincial tours, in which this town was included. 
Handel appears identified with Cheltenham in various ways. 
Here it was that Mr. Watson, the Manager of the Theatre, 
resided, who in the beginning of the present century revived the 
performance of the Messiah in the Midland and Western 
Counties. For this purpose he engaged the celebrated Madame 
Catalani to sing. The Cheltenham Chronicle in 1809 announced 
— " that Mr. Watson gives Madame Catalani one thousand 
guineas for six night's performance at Birmingham." The same 
local paper weekly announces the " Proposal for publishing by 
subscription a splendid edition of the favourite works of Handel, 
with a separate accompaniment arranged for the pianoforte, 
by Dr. John Clarke, of Cambridge. Apply to Dr. Clarke, or 
H. Buff, Cheltenham Library." The same paper in 1811 also 
advertises the performance of Handel's Messiah at the Chelt- 
enham Parish Church by 100 performers, and among the 
vocalists is Madame Catalani. The charge of admission was 
ten shillings and sixpence. Another local incident is the fact 
that one of Handel's biographers — John Bishop — is both a 
native and resident. Mr. Bishop's edition of Handel's Messiah 
has done much to make that greatest of musical productions 
popular. 

The Countess op Huntingdon, who did so much to 
revive the religious world during the past century, was a frequent 
visitor io the town. In her memoir by the Eev* H. New, 
published in 1858, it is said : " Prom a letter of the Duchess of 
Somerset, dated July 9th, 1751, it appears that her ladyship 
had removed to Cheltenham, and was in very good health. 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. o25 

Gloucester and Cheltenham had for many years enjoyed the 
labours of her ladyship's chaplain and ministers. Messrs. Venn, 
Madan, Talbot and others, had preached in the churches, and 
Lord Dartmouth had thrown open his house at Cheltenham for 
divine service." 

Lord Byron was several times a visitor, as will be seen on 
reference to our chapter on the celebrated authors connected 
with the town. The great poet first arrived in September 1812. 
Sir Isaac Heard, garter king-at-arms, then a resident, was a 
favourite of his lordship. During his sojourn, Sir Isaac 
accompanied Lord Byron on an antiquarian tour through the 
Midland Counties. Another associate of the great bard was 
CoL Berkeley, afterwards the Earl Eitzhardinge, with whom he 
co-operated in obtaining all the leading actors to perforin at the 
Cheltenham Theatre. Lord Byron, during his patronage of the 
local drama, was the guest of Col. Berkeley, and had the 
pleasure during his stay in the town, of witnessing the per- 
formances of Mrs. Siddons, Kemble, Mr. and Mrs. Liston, 
Grimaldi, and Col. Berkeley. Lord Byron's daughter, his 
favourite " Ada," the late Countess Lovelace, was also a frequent 
visitor. His relative, Mrs. Admiral Byron, was a resident in 
the town until her decease in 1861, and was the mother of the 
Rev. J. Byron, who has held the incumbency of the adjacent 
village of Elmstone Hard wick ever since 1833, 

Sir Walter Scott sought relief from his intense appli- 
cation to the Waverley productions, by a visit on Nov. 22, 1826. 
He took a course of the mineral waters, and testified the help 
which they afforded towards his restoration to health. 

The Right Hon. Spencer Perceval, the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer, who was assassinated by BelJingham in the lobby 
of the House of Commons, was an occasional resident. In 
1812, after the dreadful catastrophe, Mrs. Perceval and her 
widowed family repaired to the town, and occupied a cottage in 
Constitution Place — the site of the present Promenade Terrace. 

The Rev. W. Jay of Bath, was some time a resident, 
besides being an occasional visitor. " On the death of my 
daughter Statira, I went to Cheltenham, in order by a change of 
scene to deliver my mind from that severe bereavement. I 
became the guest of a lady of that town who was a member of 
the Established Church. She informed me, with deep sorrow, 



326 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

that they had a minister at their church, who, as they feared, 
did not preach the gospel ; and she desired me to go and hear 
him, in order to judge for myself. I went, and on leaving the 
church was asked whether that was preaching the gospel ? 
" Why really, my dear madam, that is a very awkward question 
for me to answer, for it was my own sermon." (Eecolleetions 
of W. Jay, by his Son.) 

The Hero of Algiers. — Lord Viscount Exmouth, his 
lady and daughter, arrived on Oct. 18, 1816, under orders of 
their medical attendants to drink the waters. A procession of 
the inhabitants met the Hero, and the town was illuminated on 
the occasion. Dr. Coley, a resident physician, who attended 
him, served under the noble chief whilst in India. 

The Grand Duke Nicholas, accompanied by Baron 
Nicoiay, Lieut. Koutousoff, Mons de SavorassofT, Mons de 
Glintse, Dr. Cnchton, took up their residence at the Plough, on 
Jan. 16, 1817. 

The Grand Duke Michael and Suite paid their visit on 
Sept. 10, 1818. His Eoyal Highness took an interest in the 
National School, and School of Industry. He was surprised at 
the manufactory of the Cheltenham Salts. 

The Persian Ambassador paid a visit on Oct. 14, 18 ly. 
He gave a brilliant party at the Assembly Eooms. 

Charles James Pox, the renowned orator and distinguished 
statesman, was an animal visitor, and resided at Vernon House. 
He was the associate of our townsman Dr. Jenner, as will be 
seen on reference to the memoir of that eminent man in another 
part of this work. 

The Prince and Princess of Denmark arrived on 
July 10, 1822. 

The Grand Duchess Helena of Eussia and Suite 
paid a visit on Aug. 25, 1831. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury and family arrived in 
May, 1809. 

The Duke of Brunswick, Sept. 28, 1836. 

Sir John Eoss, the celebrated Arctic navigator, Dec. 24, 
1836, and again on Aug. 6, 1856. Sir John Eoss, K.C.B., 
was the guest of Capt. St. Clair, of Staverton Court, during 
the visit of the British Association ; but the health of the gallant 
veteran was in such a weak state, being under the medicai 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 327 

treatment of Dr. Smith of tins town, that he was unable to 
attend more than a few of the meetings. This gallant Arctic 
voyager entered the navy as far back as 1786, and during the 
late war was constantly actively engaged. His most important 
services were rendered in the Arctic regions, where in 1818 he 
proceeded, along with Sir W. E. Parry. He explored Baffin's 
Bay for a north-west passage. He was from 1829 to 1833, 
employed on a fresh expedition to the Arctic regions. He 
received the honour of knighthood and companionship of the 
Bath in 1 834. During the war, Sir John Eoss was thirteen 
times wounded To Captain St. Clair, J. P., of this town and 
Staverton, his messmate and most intimate friend, he presented, 
a short time before his death, two scenes of his early exploits ; — 
the first, a view, painted by himself, of a frigate action ; and 
the second, a view of the capture and destruction of a three- 
decker in the Straits of Gibraltar. Sir John Eoss, notwith- 
standing the active life which he led, was the author of many 
valuable works. Among the number was the life of one whose 
family have long been connected with the town, — " Memoirs of 
and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez." Sir John 
Eoss was severely wounded at Ageseras, when serving under the 
late Lord de Saumarez. 

Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, M.P., paid his first visit July 18, 
1840. He has since then been a frequent sojourner, and is 
associated with our local literati. 

The Duke of Devonshire, and his mother, the Duchess of 
Devonshire, were frequent visitors, and their names are well- 
known for many private charities which they supported. The 
noble Duke, so celebrated for his patronage of the fine arts, — as 
his " Palace of the Peak " at Chatsworth, under the management 
of Sir Joseph Paxton, so clearly shows, — paid his last visit on 
May 20, 1840. The Duke and suite occupied apartments at the 
Queen's Hotel, and the many pensioners to his bounty were daily 
relieved during his stay. 

The Duke and Duchess St. Albans will long live in 
the remembrance of the residents of Cheltenham for their many 
benefactions daily given to the local poor. The Duchess was 
associated in early life with the town, and her mother lies 
interred in the Parish Churchyard, where a monument is erected 
to her memory. The rich and benevolent heiress was an annual 



328 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

visitor ; and the noble Duke, in order to promote the fashionable 
amusements of the place, revived the ancient practice of Hawking 
— his Grace being the High Falconer of England. The sport 
was a source of attraction both to visitors and residents. 

Sir Harry Smith.— June 7, 1847.— The " Hero of Alliwal " 
was on the following day presented with an address from the 
inhabitants. He received the deputation at his place of sojourn, 
the Belle Vue Hotel, and acknowledged the compliment paid 
him in eulogistic terms, praising the natural attractions of the 
Queen of Watering Places. 

Sir Charles Napier was a frequent visitor to the town. 
On the occasion of his last visit he was honoured with a public 
dinner at the Queen's Hotel. The name of " Ghurnee/' the 
seat of the gallant commander's principal Indian victory, was 
displayed in gas illuminations at the principal entrance. In 
September 1848, " Major-General Sir Charles Napier, the Hero 
of Scinde," appears on the arrival list. He was a resident 
when last summoned to take the command of the British Army 
in India. 

The Archbishop of Dublin, in May, 1848. His Grace 
preached in the morning at St. Philip's Church. 

The young African Prince Caulker was a long time 
located at the residence of the Eev. J. K. Poster, of St. John's 
Lodge, in this town. " This interesting youth was son of 
Camar Bar, Chief or King of Bompey, in West Africa, brought 
to England under the patronage of the Countess of Hunting- 
don's Missionary Society, 1853. During his six years stay in 
Cheltenham, he had the affliction to lose both his parents and 
his sight. His uncle has succeeded to his father's throne of 
power in Bompey." (Cheltenham Examiner, June 8, 1859). 

The Marquis of Breadalbane, Lord Chamberlain to 
Her Most Gracious Majesty, arrived in August 1853. "He 
regularly drank the waters at the Eoyal Spa, and expressed 
himself much pleased with our beautiful town." 

The Lord Chancellor. — " Lord and Lady Chelmsford, 
with the Hon. Captain Thesiger, arrived in Cheltenham on 
Saturday last, on a visit to Lord de Saumarez at Montpellier 
Lodge. Yesterday his lordship lunched at Southam, the seat 
of the Eight Hon. the Earl of Ellenborough." (Cheltenham 
Examiner, Sept. 8, 1858). 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 329 

GENERAL LEFEBVRE. 

The wars of nations and the many trials and vicissitudes of 
those whose military profession oblige them to become actors in 
the scene of strife, have furnished abundant materials for the 
historian and novelist. The soldier-hero, in numberless instances, 
has a romance in real life to relate, more striking and remarkable 
than the imaginative fiction of a Bulvver. Every place in 
Europe is associated by some incident connected with the Wars 
of France and England during the Bourbon and Bonaparte 
dynasties. Even Cheltenham, removed and retired as it is 
from any military station, was, notwithstanding, called into 
notice by an event which it will be our aim to relate. 

During the twenty-three years' war with France, many 
prisoners were made by both nations. These were taken to 
different towns, under various regulations, according to rank in 
life, until exchanged for others. The French prisoners appear 
to have been treated with kindness by their English captors, 
and there is no instance of any complaint being found in any of 
the foreign accounts of this protracted war. The prisoners, on 
the whole, seem to have been well behaved, for they conquered 
much stubborn prejudice that then existed, and became " at 
home " in the land of their captivity. 

At the time when the war was at its height, prisoners of war 
were brought to Cheltenham. They consisted of three generals 
and several private soldiers. They were located in Cambray, 
the Tewkesbury Road, and the High Street. They were allowed 
a parole of three miles around the limits of the town. Among 
the number was General Lefebvre, unquestionably one of the 
most valiant and remarkable men that belonged to the military 
ranks of the great Napoleon. His life is a romance in history, 
and his connection with this place necessarily links the town 
with the general history of the French w r ars. He is well 
remembered by many of our residents, and is spoken of as a 
person of a very affable and mild demeanour. Albina, Countess 
of Buckingham, was at that time among the number of visitors, 
and she gave parties on a large and brilliant scale. In the list 
of the company present, as given in the local press, the names 
of the French General and his lady invariably appear. The 
noble captive mingled with the upper walks of society, and 
made himself familiar by his regular attendance at all public 



830 HTSTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

places of resort. Nearly a year had passed pleasantly away, 
(without much on the part of the General to complain of in the 
way of English treatment, beyond the restrictions of parole), 
when the news ran through the town that the Frenchman had 
fled ! The local consternation was great indeed. The town 
crier immediately proclaimed the news, bell in hand, to the 
astonished inhabitants. The only resident magistrate, headed 
by the manorial constables and a few of the townsfolk, hurried 
to the outskirts of the place to prevent escape. There was no 
police force in those days ; and if there had been, they could 
cot, with all their vigilance, have effected a capture. Lefebvre 
had well arranged his plans. When next heard of, he was 
fighting by the side of his beloved master, Napoleon ; and in 
most of the severe engagements which had preceded the battle 
of Waterloo, he took an active part. Lefebvre and two other 
captive generals, during their local sojourn, occupied No. 131, 
High-street, directly facing the Colonnade. Gen. Lefebvre was 
a Count of the French Empire, and arrived in Cheltenham with 
his Duchess in February 1811. He was taken prisoner in a 
rencontre near Salagran, just previous to the retreat of Sir J. 
Moore ; and by the intercession of Col. McLeod of this town, 
was placed at Cheltenham, in return for civilities received by 
him at France, while detained in that country as prisoner of 
war by Bonaparte. He was treated with the most marked 
attention by all the resident gentry, and was invited to all the 
parties of note. u Gen. Lefebvre was a great favourite of 
Bonaparte, who, we hear, had made him a Count. He was 
married to the daughter of an eminent banker of Paris. This 
lady had been now about twelve months in Paris, being per- 
mitted to come over and reside with the General in this town." 
Cf The General personated a German Count, took a post chaise 
in this town for London. Madame Lefebvre, who was attired 
in boy's clothes, passed for his son, and his Aid-de-Camp was 
in the humble capacity of valet-de-chambre. They alighted at 
an hotel in Jermyn Street, London. The feigned Count stated 
his intention of quitting England with his son, and that he came 
to London for the necessary passports. In the same style of 
travelling the party reached Dover, where a smuggling boat 
conveyed them to the coast of France." {Cheltenham Chronicle). 
In the Morning Post of 1812, there is a Proclamation in 



VISITS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 331 

reference to the escape, and a government reward of ten guineas 
for the re-capture. The prisoner is described as " thirty-eight 
years of age, five feet ten inches high, slender made, oval 
visage, fair complexion, dark brown hair, grey eyes, has a small 
scar on the right side of the face. Amand le Due, aid-de-camp 
to Lefebvre, is twenty-nine years of age, five feet ten inches 
high, stout made, oval visage, fair complexion, dark hair, hazel 
eyes, and marked with the small pox." It was deemed prudent 
after this escape to remove the other French prisoners then in 
the town. An order was shortly afterwards issued for their 
being sent to Abergavenny. The next news that appears in the 
local paper is the taking of Lefebvre a prisoner for the second 
time : — 

" It is a matter of exultation to our townsmen, and genuine 
pleasure to ourselves, to have learnt the re-capture of General 
Lefebvre, who recently broke his parole, and escaped with his 
wife and servant from this place. He was taken by the gallant 
Kutusoff in the last discomfiture of the French near Wilna. 
Luring his stay with us, the polite attention of the nobility and 
gentry to him was as general as unremitting ; invitation followed 
invitation, and marks of kindness succeeding endeavours to 
please ; — thus every effort was used to palliate the ideal severity 
of retrenched liberty. In return for English courtesy, he flew 
to oppose British allies ; and the sword, which honour and 
gratitude should have confined to the scabbard, is reared against 
us. We understand government purposes making application 
to the Court of St. Petersburg for the above officer ; but we 
conceive he will save the Eussians the trouble of delivery, by 
escaping to France : but should he arrive, he may rely upon not 
having the benefit of the Cheltenham Waters." {Cheltenham 
Chronicle, January 1813). " When Gen. Lefebvre was taken 
prisoner at the skirmish of Benevente, in Spain, he requested 
Sir J. Moore would allow him to go to Calais by land, as a 
passage by sea always injured his health ; and that, on his 
honour as an officer, he would proceed to Dover, and give him- 
self up as a prisoner of war. Sir J. Moore replied, he might 
meet with some danger in crossing the channel, but he would 
allow him an English frigate, which he knew would go safe to 
any part of the globe without difficulty, and would soon waft 
him over the bay." {Cheltenham Chronicle, Jan. 26, 1813). 



332 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

" General Lefebvre is at this moment receiving the tributary 
cavalry horses in that capital, for remounting volunteers for the 
promised retaliative campaign in Bussia." {Cheltenham Chronicle, 
Feb. 18, 1813). The General was severely wounded in a conflict 
at Brienne, fighting by the side of Napoleon, and shortly afterwards 
died. The feeling of the inhabitants at the time appears manifest in 
an announcement in the Cheltenham Chronicle of Oct. 17, 1816, 
of the arrival in the town of cc Bonaparte's celebrated Military 
Carriage, taken at Waterloo, with its curious contents, as 
presented to the Prince Begent by Blucher. It is drawn by the 
same horses and driven by the same coachman as when the 
property of the ex-Emperor." 

Intimately connected with the visits of the many eminent 
personages here narrated is the subject of local amusements. 
The earlier visitors, among whom were Boyalty and some of the 
first English and foreign families of title, were patrons of dramatic 
performances, and, as a consequence, led to the establishment of 
a theatre in the town. To this fortunate circumstance Chelt- 
enham owes its celebrity and fame in the pages of histrionic 
literature, and stands distinguished as one of the most important 
dramatic stations of the past century, as the next Chapter will 
fully detail. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

dramatic ^tstors, 

THE past history of the Drama in Cheltenham abounds in 
incidents of the deepest interest, connected with the 
progress of the histrionic art during the past century. These 
incidents, which we here record, reveal the pleasing fact that no 
town in England has contributed more to advance and elevate 
the Drama than our own. Small and rural as was the local 
population in the Elizabethan era, it yet gave support to the 
poor strolling player, as he passed en route with his rude scenic 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 333 

property. So early as the year 1612, the following entry occurs 
on the Manor Rolls : " Presentment — that Dobbins sounded 
his drum up and down the town of Cheltenham, in the Market, 
accompanied by R. Clerke, and divers other young fellows ; 
Clerke following Dobbins with a truncheon, like a lyvetenant or 
or marshallman, and proclaiming, that whosoever would hear a 
play should come to the Sign of the Crown." The borough 
was eminent for the quantity of malt which it made, which led 
to the erection of malt houses. It was in these buildings that 
the Drama was first performed ; and even Royalty itself, with 
all the fashionable visitors of the day, had no better place to 
resort to. The visit of a body of comedians is thus noticed in 
the Cirencester Flying Post, of Aug. 6, 1744 — the second 
county newspaper established : — 

" We hear from Cheltenham Spaw, that the Warwick Company 
of Comedians, who are now entertaining the quality and gentry 
there, intend going from thence to Stratford-upon-Avon, with ten 
plays, selected from Beaumont and Fletcher, Shakespere, Ben 
Jonson, Dry den, Congreve, &c, never performed there before, 
being provided with clothes, scenes, and decorations for per- 
forming the plays of these celebrated authors." 

Cheltenham occupies an important position in the history of 
dramatic literature. At the period when its mineral waters first 
began to attract visitors from all parts of Great Britain, a 
humble theatre graced the top of the present Pittville Street, in 
a court called " Coffee House Yard." Within the walls of this 
now demolished building, have appeared the greatest and most 
celebrated of modern performers. The original Cheltenham 
Theatre, although only an old malt-house and stable adjacent, 
fitted up and attached to premises then known as " Newcastle 
House," a sort of boarding-house — did in fact prove to a Siddons, 
a Kemble, and to others, a stepping-stone to their future great- 
ness — raising them from the depths of poverty and obscurity to 
the highest rank in their profession. " Near Newcastle House 
being the sphere in which the brilliant genius of a Siddons did 
not disdain to shed forth its lustre. The e tyring room ' being 
a hay loft, and the * arena ' a stable, fitted up for the c nonce.' 
The heroine in her sable garb of woe, came always in her chair, 
dressed for the character she had to perforin, and was conducted 
by a miserable flight of steps to the general green room." 



334 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

(Weller). Here it was that John Kemble performed for the 
first time in his life, when a poor youth, unknown to the world 
even by name. 

The ever-to-be-remembered Mrs. Siddons stands indebted to 
the urbanity of one of the visitors to this " Queen of Watering 
Places " for her first introduction to the metropolitan stage. 
This was the Hon. Miss Boyle, daughter of Lord Dungarvon, 
an accomplished lady, and the authoress of a volume of poems. 
She was in after-life married to Lord O'Neil, of Shane's Castle, 
in Ireland, and her mother's second husband was the Earl of 
Aylesbury. The poetic talents which this young lady possessed, 
enabled her to more readily discern and appreciate those which 
were developed in the acting of Mrs. Siddons. Miss Boyle 
witnessed the performance of the then poor and almost unknown 
actress, at Cheltenham ; and such was the favourable impression 
which it produced on her mind, that she wrote to Garrick, who 
invited Mrs. Siddons to London — an invitation which was 
accepted, and which led the way to fortune and to fame. 
Campbell, the well-known poet, has published a copious " Life 
of Mrs. Siddons," and he commences his sketch of her local 
career by remarking ; — " In the course of the year 1744, Mr. 
and Mrs. Siddons were both engaged to act at Cheltenham. 
That place, though now an opulent and considerable town, con- 
sisted in those days of only one tolerable street, through the 
middle of which ran a clear stream of water, with stepping- 
stones that served as a Bridge." The author states that Miss 
Boyle, accompanied by her mother and the Earl of Aylesbury, 
having decided upon spending an evening at the theatre, went 
to the box-keeper to enquire concerning the piece selected for 
representation . Upon being told that it was C€ Venice Preserved, " 
" they all laughed heartily, and promised themselves a treat of 
the ludicrous in the misrepresentation of the piece. Some one 
who overheard their mirth, kindly reported it to Mrs. Siddons. 
She had the part of Belvidera alloted to her, and prepared for 
the performance of it with no enviable feelings. In spite of 
much agitation, however, she got through it. She went home, 
after the play, grievously mortified." Of the abilities manifested 
by the then poor actress, in the truly arduous character which 
she attempted under such unfavourable circumstances, we are 
enabled to judge by the effect produced, which is thus narrated 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 335 

by Mr. Campbell ; — " Next day, Mr. Siddons met in the street 
with Lord Aylesbury, who inquired after Mrs. Siddons 5 health, 
and expressed not only his own admiration of her last night's 
excellent acting, but related its effects upon the ladies of bis 
party. They had wept, he said, so excessively, that they were 
unpresentable in the morning, and were confined to their rooms 
with headaches. Mr. Siddons hastened home to gladden his 
fair spouse with this intelligence. Miss Boyle soon afterwards 
visited Mrs. Siddons at her lodgings, took the deepest interest 
in her fortunes, and continued her ardent friend until her death." 
The following passage from the work entitled " John Halifax, 
Gentleman," (7th edition), graphically describes Mrs. Siddon's 
at the Coffee House Yard Theatre. " In a few minutes we had 
started in a flutter of gaiety and excitement for Coffee House 
Yard. It was a poor place, little better than a barn, built in 
the lane leading out of the High Street. This lane was almost 
blocked up with play-goers of all ranks, and in all sorts of 
equipages, from the coach to the sedan chair, mingled with a 
motley crowd on foot, all jostling, fighting, and screaming, till 
the place became a complete bear garden. The crowd grew 
denser and more formidable. I looked beyond it up towards 
the hills that rose in various directions round the town ; — how 
green and quiet they were in a still June evening. But now 
there came a slight swaying in the crowd, as a sedan chair was 
borue through, or attempted to be — for the effort failed. There 
was a scuffle, and one of the bearers was knocked down and 
hurt. Some cried ' Shame !' others seemed to think this incident 
only added to the frolic. At last, in the midst of the confusion, 
a lady put her head out, and gazed around her. It was a 
remarkable countenance ; once seen, you could never forget it. 
Pale, rather large in outline — an aquiline nose — full, passionate 
yet sensitive lips — and very dark eyes. She spoke, and the 
voice belonged naturally to such a face. " Good people, let me 
pass — I am Sarah Siddons." The crowd divided instant- 
aneously, and in moving, set up a cheer that must have rang 
through all the town. There was a minute's pause, while she 
bowed and smiled — such a smile ! and then the sedan curtain 
closed. It was a glorious night. At this distance of time, 
when I look back upon it, my old biood leaps and burns. I 
repeat, it was a glorious night I Before the curtain rose we 



336 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

had time to glance about us on that scene — the inside of a 
theatre. Shabby and small as the place was, it was filled by 
all the beau monde of Cheltenham, which then, patronised by 
royalty, rivalled even Bath in its fashion and folly. Such a dashing 
of diamonds and spangled turbans, and Prince of Wales' plumes. 
Such an odd mingling of fashion, which was then in a transition 
state, the old ladies sticking tenaciously to the stately silken 
petticoats and long bodices, while the younger belles had began 
to flaunt in the French fashions of flimsy muslin's, short 
waisted, narrow skirted. But the play began. I am not going 
to follow it : all the world has heard of the Lady Macbeth of 
Mrs. Siddons. This, the first and last play I ever witnessed, 
stands out to my memory, after more than half a century, as 
clear as on that night. Still I can see her in her first scene, 
6 reading a letter' — that wondrous woman, who, in spite of her 
modern black velvet and point lace, did not act, but was Lady 
Macbeth : still I hear the awe-struck, questioning, weird-like 
tone, that sent an involuntary shudder through the house, as if 
supernatural things were abroad — ' They made themselves — air/' 
And still there quivers through the silence that piteous cry of a 
strong heart broken — l All the perfume of Arabia will never 
sweeten this little hand V Well, she is gone, like the brief three 
hours when we hung on her very breath, as if it would stay 
even the wheels of time. But they have whirled on—whirled 
her away with them into the infinite, and into earthly oblivion ! 
People tell me that a new generation only smiles at the tradi- 
tional glory of Sarah Siddons. They never saw her. For me, 
I shall go down to the grave worshipping her still" 

Mrs. Siddons wrote a journal of her life, and in reference to 
this locality, she remarks— -" Mr. King, by order of Mr. Garrick, 
who had heard some account of me from the Aylesbury family, 
came to Cheltenham to see me in the ' Fair Penitent.' I knew 
neither Mr. King nor his purpose, but I shortly afterwards 
received an invitation from Garrick himself, upon very low 
terms. Happy to be placed where I presumptuously augured 
that I should do all that I have since achieved, if I could but 
once o-ain the opportunity, I instantly paid my respects to the 
great man. I was at that time good-looking ; and certainly, 
all things considered, an actress well worth my poor five pounds 
per week." 





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DRAMATIC HiSTOllY. 337 

Mrs. Siddons pursued her career in London and the provinces 
with greater success than has ever fallen to the lot of any other 
actress. That she was the most extraordinary woman that ever 
trod the stage, is universally acknowledged. After realizing an 
independency she retired from public life. In a short time 
after her withdrawal from the stage, death deprived her of 
several near relatives, which broke her constitution, and brought 
on a severe indisposition. To remedy this, she was advised to 
take up her abode in Cheltenham, advice which was acted upon, 
as is evident from the following letter : — 

TO MRS. IITZ HUGH. 

"Birch 'Farm, Cheltenham, June 1803. 
"Dear Madam, — The serenity of the place, the sweet ait and scenery of my 
cottage, and the medicinal effects of the waters have done some good to my 
shattered constitution. 1 am unable at times to reconcile myself to my fate. 
The darling being for whom I mourn is assuredly released from a lite of suffering, 
and numbered amongst the blessed spirits made perfect. But to be separated Cor 
ever, in spite of reason, and in spite of religion, is, at times, too much for me. 
Give my love to clear Charles Moore, if you chance to see him. Have you read 
his beautiful account of my dear Sally ? It is done with a truth and modesty 
which has given me the sincerest of all pleasures that I am now allowed to feel, 
and assures me still more than ever that he who could feel aud taste such excel- 
lence was worthy of the particular regard she had for him. 

" Yours very truly, 

"Sarah Siddons.* 1 

Mr. Campbell relates— " During her stay at Birch Farm, she 
was consoled by having her little daughter Cecilia with her. Her 
brother, John Kemble, and Charles Moore, also came to her in 
this retreat ; and the whole congenial party left Cheltenham in 
July to make an excursion among the scenery of the Wye, 
which proved of benfit to Mrs- Siddons' spirits. 55 

" Birch Farm, 55 so feelingly alluded to by Mrs. Siddons in her 
letter — " the sweet air and scenery of my cottage, 55 — was 
situate at the top of North- street, on the site of Camden villa, 
and near the present Clarence-square. This, and the whole of 
what now constitutes the Pittville Estate, was at the period the 
great actress wrote, a rural and retired portion of the vicinity, 
and occupied as farm land. 

" The theatre at Cheltenham was under the management of 
its proprietor, Watson. He was of a respectable family of 
Quakers in Clonmel. In John Kemble 5 s younger days, he was 
a near ally of his, and both belonged to a strolling company. 
They lived, or rather by Watson's account, starved together. 



338 HISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. 

At one time they were left penniless ; and after continued 
vicissitudes, Watson assured me, suck was their distress, that 
at that time they were glad to get into a turnip field, and make 
a meal of its produce uncooked : and, he added, it was while 
regaling on the raw vegetable, that they hit upon a scheme to 
recruit their finances: And a lucky turnip it turned out. It 
was neither more nor less than that John Kemble should turn 
Methodist preacher, and Watson perform the part of clerk. 
The scheme was organized, and Tewkesbury was the first scene 
of action. They drew together, in a field, a numerous congre- 
gation ; and Kemble preached with such piety, and so much 
effect, that a large collection rewarded his labours. " (Kelly's 
Keminiscenes). 

The Kemble family performed in a barn at the Oldbury, in 
Tewkesbury, alternately with the Coffee House Yard Theatre, at 
Cheltenham. At the period this anecdote alludes to, they were 
in destitute circumstances, and walked from one performance to 
another across the fields, subsisting upon what they could pick 
up in their path. The elder Kemble was the manager, and his 
wife and young family were the principal performers. The 
remarkable abilities of Kemble must be evident from the fact 
that he was enabled to so ably personate the preacher. Two 
members of this family were driven to perform the same act 
during their journeys along the foot road between the two towns. 
The money on these occasions were received in a large old- 
fashioned nutmeg grater with a hinged cover. This relic was 
preserved at the Cheltenham Theatre with scrupulous care, by 
the late dramatic veteran, Mr. Adamson, the box-office keeper, 
who, in return for favours granted in his declining age, presented 
it to the late warm patron of the Drama — Earl Fitzhardinge. 

The author of " John Halifax, Gentleman," has thus described 
the scene. The fictitious sermon was preached on the spot 
known as the " Bloody Meadow," and to an audience composed 
mostly of the agricultural population. " His harangue, although 
given as a sermon, was strictly a moral essay, such as might have 
emanated from any professor's chair. In fact, he had given for 
his text, one which the simple rustics received in all respect, as 
coming from a higher and holier volume then Shakespere, — 
e Mercy is twice blessed, it blesseth him that gives and him that 
takes.* And on that text did he dilate; gradually warming 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 339 

with his subject. We had never heard such eloquence. At 
eighteen and twenty it dazzled me. No wonder it affected the 
rest of the audience. Feeble men leaning on forks and rakes, 
shook their old heads sagely as if they understood it all. And 
when the speaker alluded to the horrors of war — a subject that 
came so bitterly home to every heart in Britain — many women 
melted into sobs and tears. At last, when the orator, himself 
moved by the pictures he had conjured up, paused suddenly, 
quite exhausted, and asked for a slight contribution to help a 
deed of charity, there was a general rush towards him. c No — 
no my good people ; — No, I will not take from any one more 
than a penny, and then only if they are quite sure that they 
can spare it. Thank you all, my very worthy and approved 
good masters, and a fair harvest to you.' He bowed them away 
in a dignified and graceful manner, still standing on the hay 
cart. He descended from the cart. His companion burst into 
roars of laughter ; but the preacher looked grave. ' Hang me 
if I'll be at this trick again. But starvation is —excuse me — 
unpleasant, and necessity has no law. It is of vital consequence 
that I should reach Cheltenham to-night ; and after walking- 
twenty miles, one cannot walk ten more, and afterwards appear 
as Macbeth to an admiring audience.' The fact that, under a 
like necessity, the same amusing play was played out here years 
ago, as I told you, by John Philip — no, I will not conceal his 
nams, the greatest actor, and the truest gentleman our English 
stage has ever seen — John Philip Kemble." 

We further record another incident, which, although trifling 
in itself, yet illustrates the trials and vicissitudes which this 
talented family passed through. Mr. Eoger Kemble had set 
apart John Kemble to be educated for the church. The son, 
however, left the trammels of a college life, and launched into 
the then precarious profession of a theatrical performer. He 
had walked from Bristol to Wales, and from thence through 
Gloucester to Cheltenham. His necessities were great, and he 
was relieved by a subscription raised by the company attached 
to his father's theatre at Brecknock. John Kemble, on his 
arrival in this town, made his first attempt at performing on the 
stage. " Here he made his debut ; and although he continued to 
be received with some applause, his remuneration was so trifling, 
that he was at times involved in rather ludicrous situations, 



340 HISTOttY OF CHELTENHAM. 

arising from extreme distress. One night, when he was to 
appear as Yentidius, in c All for Love,' he was much embarrassed 
by his landlady retaining his shirt, which she had to wash, until 
he paid fifteen pence which was due, but which it was impossible, 
in this emergency, to raise. The rest of the company were in 
equal distress ; and to add to the want of a shirt, only one 
ruffle could be found among them. To elude the observations 
of the audience, Yentidius was therefore obliged to manoeuvre, 
and he pinned the single ruffle on his right hand, and went 
through the whole of the first act with his left hand wrapped up 
in his cloak ; but, naturally supposing that the audience would 
consider it strange that he should use only his right hand, he 
kept occasionally shifting the ruffle from one hand to the other, 
and thus evaded observation." [Theatrical Times). 

In August, 1809, Mr. and Mrs. C. Kemble were in the 
height of their prosperity, and attracted crowded houses in 
Cheltenham, playing in the " Soldier's Daughter," and " Much 
kdo about Nothing." 

Stephen Kemble, in his declining years, turned poet, and 
published a volume, entitled " Odes, Lyrical Ballads, and Poems, 
on various subjects, by Stephen George Kemble, comedian." 
Eemembering the kindness he met with in early life from the 
local friends of the Drama, he thus appeals for support as an 
author, in the Cheltenham Chronicle of May 25, 1809. " Long- 
experience engendered hope that the same generous public that 
had so often listened to me with indulgence, might still cherish 
a favourable impression towards me, and thus be, in some small 
degree, prepared to receive graciously perhaps the last effort of 
a veteran actor to amuse them." 

Kelly has recorded the local vicissitudes of another great 
name — Edmund Kean. The unrivalled personator of that 
extraordinary creation of Shakespere — Eichard the Third, 
arrived with a strolling company in the town, and played to 
empty benches. Kean was driven to the necessity of begging 
a meal upon trust. Knowing that the daughter of a butcher, 
residing near the Eed Lion, in the High Street, was a frequenter 
of his canvass theatre, he appealed to her for a small beef steak 
cc on tick," to be paid out of the night's receipts. The girl 
complied with the request ; but just as the actor had obtained 
the favour, the girl's father walked into the shop, and Kean, to 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 34l 

prevent his seeing it, hid the long coveted dinner behind him. 
A hungry dog passing at the time, seized the steak for his prey ; 
and that night, " Crooked-back Dick " was performed with a 
empty stomach ! But such are the fluctuations in an actor's 
life, that in a few years afterwards, when Kean visited this town, 
he was paid £50 for a morning performance, the same sum at 
Tewkesbury in the afternoon, and again at Gloucester in the 
evening — thus making £1.50 in one day ! 

<c The all powerful attractions of Edmund Kean were on 
Tuesday last fully shewn, by the throng which attended our 
theatre to witness his unrivalled performance of Eichard III. 
At the early part of the previous week all the boxes were taken ; 
and such was the desire to see him, that even the gallery became 
the resort of respectability ; the musicians relinquished their 
seats in the orchestra, taking their station behind the scenes. " 
{Cheltenham Chronicle , September, 1814). 

The fame thus honourably acquired, has descended to the 
son. In the year 1861, the rank and fashion of Cheltenham 
assembled in the same crowded manner to witness the perform- 
ances of Mr. Charles Kean, whose abilities as an actor have 
gained for him the especial patronage of the Queen of these 
realms. 

In the obscure building in Coffee House Yard, the im- 
mortal personages who performed within its rude walls, were 
the means of first making the Drama locally popular. The 
taste thus created had its influence in due time. In 1782, a 
theatre was erected near the site of the existing York Tavern. 
This building, when compared with its successor, was of but 
small dimensions ; but its historical associations are now inter- 
esting. In this local Temple of the Muses have performed 
some of the most eminent actors of the past century, at a time 
when they were poor ana unknown. Among the number who 
performed regularly in this primitive theatre, was Miss Mellon, 
the late Duchess of St. Alban's. To the honour of Mrs. Siddons 
" be it said that, at the very particular desire of some friends, 
she obligingly played here five nights, the first season it was 
opened — 1782 — in the characters of Portia, Calista, Mrs. Sullen, 
Belvidera, and Indiana. " (Cheltenham Guide, 1786). 

The success which attended this first attempt was so great, 
that Mr *. Watson, in 1805, was induced to erect the late neat 



342 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

and commodious theatre in Cambray. This, for a number of 
years, was continually crowded ; and its prosperity was, to a 
great extent, aided by the frequent amateur performances of the 
Earl Fitzhardinge, and his two brothers, the Hon. Frederick and 
Augustus Berkeley. 

In 1788, the performances at the Cheltenham Theatre 
were patronized by King George III. and family. His 
Majesty was so pleased with what he witnessed, that before 
leaving the town he constituted it a Theatre Soyal by his 
letters patent. His Majesty's first visit is thus described by 
Madame D'Arblay in her Diary. The authoress was one of 
the maids of honour, and present on the occasion. After 
mentioning, that during the breakfast in " the little parlour " 
at Fauconberg House, one of the company expressed a wish 
to go to the Coffee House Yard Theatre, she says — " We talked 
over his usual theme — plays and players- — and he languished to 
go to the theatre and see Mrs. Jordan. Nor did he languish 
in vain : his royal master, the Duke, imbibed his wishes, and 
conveyed them to the King ; and no sooner were they known 
than an order was hastily sent to the play-house, to prepare 
a royal box. The Queen was so gracious as to order Miss 
Planta and myself to have the same entertainment. We went 
into a box near the stage, which is elways appropriated for 
Mr. De la Bere, as chief magistrate, whenever he chooses to 
make use of it. Mr. De la Bere, and the sweet little Anne 
Dewes, accompanied us to their box. 

"The delight of the people that their King and Queen 
should visit this country theatre, was the most disinterested I 
ever witnessed ; for though they had not even a glance of their 
royal countenances, they shouted, huzzaed, and clapped for 
many minutes. The managers had prepared the front boxes 
for their reception, and therefore the galleries were over them. 
They made a very full and respectable appearance in this village 
theatre. The King, Queen, Duke of York, and three Princesses 
were all accommodated with front seats ; Lord Harcourt stood 
behind the King, Lady Harcourt and Mr. Fairly behind the 
Queen ; Lord and Lady Courtown and Lady Pembroke behind 
the Princesses, and, at the back, Colonel Gwynn and Mr. 
Bunbury; Mr. Boulby and Lady Mary were also in the back 
group." 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 343 

The last visit is thus recorded in the Morning Post of 
Aug. 15,1788: Cheltenham.— The Theatre.— Their Majesties, 
for the last time, on Friday evening, honoured the theatre here 
with their presence. The house was, as it will never be seen 
again, except on the same occasion. All the pit was laid into 
the boxes, and the two first rows of the gallery ; the remaining 
part of the gallery was at the pit prices. The King and Queen 
came early. Amongst the audience were the following splendid 
list of names : Earls Bathurst, Oxford, Harrington, Courtown ; 
Lords Rivers, Apsley, Maitland, Faulkland, Hamilton, Ducie ; 
Ladies Pembroke, Harcourt, Couitown, Maitland. The upper 
boxes were crowded with all the fashion that Gloucester, Wor- 
cester* and the county could send. Amongst these were Dod- 
dington Hunt, and John De la Bere, Ssqrs. Mrs. Wells, who 
had been sent for by order, appeared both in the play and farce, 
Julia in the " Midnight Hour," and Cowslip. The best 
applause was the express approbation of their Majesties, signi- 
fied through the means of the Manager, Mr. Watson. The 
playbills of the evening were printed upon satin. Mrs. Watson 
attended their Majesties with tea, between the play and enter- 
tainment. The following address was spoken by Mr. Chariton. 
It was much applauded : — 

"When the Majestic spirit of the Law 
Feels a Relief from Cheltenham's humble Spa ; 
"When George, our Constitution's sacred shield, 
Here, aids his Own, the Sceptre long to wield, 
All heart's must worship this dear, hallow'd ground, 
Health at whose Fount the King of Freemen found ! 
Long may this spring preserve Great Britain free, 
By cheering Him who guards our Liberty ! 
Here may his virtuous consort often dwell, 
Th* ador'd Hygeia of our Royal Well ! 
And, oh ! may these, High Windsor's charming Graces, 
In this low vale, show oft their blooming faces ! 
Were the meek eye unfolds the modest mind, 
Though young, examples to all Womankind. 
But, we intrude, our homage now is due, 
To sacred Majesty, to you, and you. 
[Bowing to their Majesties, then to the Princesses, and lastly to the audience.] 
Deigning to visit our small rustic scene, 
Proves that you think no subjects calling mean. 
Our humble manager still hopes each year, 
Of Duteous Loyalty to shed the tear, 
And thank again his Royal Patrons here. 
Long may your future joys excel the past, 
Aud Cheltenham, honoured thus, for ages last* 



344 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The great post, Lord Byron, during Iris visits to Cheltenham, 
greatly assisted to establish the Drama on a popular footing. 
In connexion with the late Earl Eitzhardinge, he laboured to 
secure the engagement of all the most eminent actors of the 
day, and Mr. John Kemble and Mrs. Siddons, performed under 
his patronage the respective characters of Macbeth and Lady 
Macbeth ; and Mr. and Mrs. Liston the characters of Solomon 
and Loretta in " The Quaker." The noble bard was a frequent 
guest at the table of the then Colonel Berkeley, at Berkeley 
Castle, and associated with the great dramatists and literary 
characters of the age, who at that time daily thronged the old 
baronial abode. The interest which Byron and Colonel Berkeley 
took in the inimitable Joseph Grimaldi, in his declining years, 
does honor to the memory of both. " Joe," the prince of 
clowns, was invited to Cheltenham three times, and performed 
two nights on each visit, during which time lie was one of the 
guests at the Castle, and dined regularly with Byron and some 
of the leading nobility of the county. Some idea may be 
formed of the influence of the patronage which was bestowed 
upon the laughter-making Joe, when his proceeds of the receipts 
amounted to, on the first visit, £194, the second to £186, and the 
third to £150 ; and this will appear the more striking, when it 
is mentioned that this was only half the actual sum taken, the 
other half going by agreement to Mr. Watson, the proprietor. 
Grimaldi's first visit was in 1812, his second in 1822, and his 
last in 1823, when his declining health (which was temporarily 
restored by drinking the Cheltenham waters), rendered him 
unfit for any public engagement afterwards. Grimaldi left 
behind him a journal of his life, which has been edited and 
published by Mr. Charles Dickens, and from which we make a 
few extracts, in order to illustrate the popular feeling in favour 
of the drama in this locality at that period : — (ii Grimaldi, 5 said 
Colonel Berkeley, f after breakfast, at which meal we expect 
your company, and that of Mr. Watson, you shall have a course 
with the greyhounds yonder ; then you shall return and dine 
with us. We shall have dinner early, so as to enable you to 
reach the theatre in time to perform.' Upon their return to 
the castle, they found most of the company with whom they 
had breakfasted assembled together, and shortly afterwards they 
sat down to dinner. Lord Byron sat on Grimaldi's left. 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 345 

Towards the end of the repast, Lord Byron invited him to eat 
a little apple tart, which he thought he could manage, as he 
was very. fond of it, and the tart being placed before him he 
commenced operations. Lord Byron looked at him for a 
moment, and then said, with much seeming surprise, ' Why, 
Mr. Grimaldi, do you not take soy with your apple tart ?' c Soy, 
my lord.' 'Yes, soy; it is very good with salmon, and there- 
fore it must be nice with apple pie.' Grimaldi did not see 
the analogy, he bowed assent to Byron's proposal, and .pro- 
ceeded to pour some of the fish sauce over his tart. After one 
or two attempts to swallow the vile mess, he addressed Lord 
Byron, remarking, c However much the confession might savour 
of bad taste, he really did not relish soy with apple tart.' 
Grimaldi repaired again in the month of August to Cheltenham. 
During his stay he so far recovered as to be enabled to play at 
the theatre, then under the management of Mr. Farley. Here 
he encountered Mr. Bunn, who informed him that Mr. Charles 
Kemble was then starring at Birmingham, and that Colonel 
Berkeley having promised to play for his benefit, he had come 
over to Cheltenham to ascertain what part the Colonel would 
wish to play. Grimaldi strolled into the green-room, and 
there met Colonel Berkeley, who said that he very much wished 
to play Valentine to his Orson ; to which Grimaldi replied, it 
would give him great pleasure to afford him the opportunity 
whenever he felt disposed. ' Very well, 5 said Colonel Berkeley, 
1 then we will consider the matter settled. You must come to 
Cheltenham for one night. I will make all the necessary 
arrangements with Farley : your son shall play the Green 
Knight, and I will give one hundred pounds as a remuneration. 
We will try what we can do together, Joe, to amuse the people 
at Cheltenham. 5 . 55 

In Buff's " Beauties of Cheltenham, 55 published in 1806, 
occurs the following account of the state of local theatricals in 
that year : — " Of the theatre itself, it may be said, without 
flattery or falsehood, that it vies with any throughout the king- 
dom — except those of the metropolis. The band is led by 
Mr. Buckingham, a veteran in the service of Euterpe. In short, 
the internal beauty and management of this theatre reflect great 
credit on the liberality and management of Mr. W r atson. The 
scenery, executed by Mr. Seward, must not be forgotten ; the 



346 history Of Cheltenham. 

whole is in perfect unison with the foregoing, and it may be 
said with truth, that few, if any theatres in the kingdom, exceed 
this in design and execution. The first-rate actors find a liberal 
reception by the managers of the Cheltenham Theatre. Every 
season the visitors are regaled with the most popular perform- 
ances, in which the rich notes of Incledon, the naivete of 
De Camp or Mellon, or the broad farce of Munden or Bannister, 
are displayed with the happiest effect. We cannot omit to 
notice the achievements of Mr. Eicher on the tight rope. 
Fortune can do little in unbefriending such a man, since he is 
without a rival." Such was the condition of the Drama in 
Cheltenham nearly 60 years ago, and how striking a contrast does 
it afford to the present dearth of public amusements of a theatrical 
kind. The Mr. Eicher alluded to, was, we believe, the most 
eminent tight-rope dancer on record, and was highly esteemed, 
and admitted into the first circles of society. This individual, 
who contributed greatly towards establishing the fame of our 
once flourishing theatre, died recently at the adjacent village of 
Swindon, in affluent circumstances. 

There are many now living who can testify to the liberal 
patronage which was formerly bestowed upon the Drama of this 
place— when the theatre was nightly thronged, and the same 
pieces were repeated by desire, amid the plaudits of the audi- 
tories. Among the many novelties which were produced about 
this period, was the performance of Bichard the Third, by a 
Miss Fisher, only thirteen years of age. This young lady was 
styled " The Young Eoscia," and appears to have caused, by 
her performance, an extraordinary sensation. An event so 
remarkable, is deserving of publicity ; and in order to perpetuate 
the remembrance of its occurrence, and to illlustrate the zeal 
with which theatricals were formerly maintained, we publish 
the following notice, which appeared in the Gloucester Journal 
of July 8j 1805 : — <c The Cheltenham Theatre. — The Young 
Eoscia.-— We live in a very extraordinary age, and wonderful 
characters are daily starting up, both in the political and 
dramatical world. A young man, barely 26 years old, conquers 
Italy, routs the finest armies of Austria, and* within four 
succeeding years, seats himself upon a throne of a mighty 
empire, which had been filled by a long line of hereditary 
monarchs* What Bonaparte is as a politician, the Young Eoscia 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 347 

appears to be as a player ; and we must contemplate her as an 
object of real astonishment. The above phenomenon, whose 
name is Fisher, has every right to the title by which she is 
emphatically called — ' The Young Eoscia.' She made her debut 
on the Cheltenham boards in the character of ' Eichard the 
Third,' — a character which, of all others, requires great judg- 
ment and discrimination, and a constant attention to stage 
effect ; for, whenever Richard is silent with his tongue, he is 
significant by his actions. There is much abstraction in the 
soliloquies, and perpetual bustle in the camp scenes ; both of 
these were no small obstacles to encounter, but both were most 
successfully surmounted by the Young Eoscia. The figure of 
this most extraordinary being is elegant, proportionate, and 
interesting ; her countenance is remarkably expressive ; and the 
intelligence of her features, and the strength and flexibility of 
her voice give her, in these respects, a decided, superiority over 
her rival of the opposite sex. She is not yet thirteen years of 
age ! ! The. first soliloquy of Eichard was delivered with judg- 
ment and force ; and the scene in which he murders King Henry, 
was played with peculiar skill and discrimination, and drew down 
loud and deserved applause. In the celebrated scene with Lady 
Anne, she was uncommonly happy, though perhaps rather too 
loud — where Eichard presents her with his sword to stab him, 
&c. The expression of — 

1 To the Tower ! aye, to the Tower ! ' 

was admirably delivered ; and in the soliloquy, after the young 
princes are sent thither, she was uncommonly happy in describing 
the vices of men, and the ambition of Eichard. The quarrel 
with Buckingham, a very difficult scene, was excellently played. 
The news of his defection, and of the invasion of Eichmond, 
was received in a manner which astonished the audience ; and 
the celebrated exclamation — 

1 Off with his head ! — so much for Buckingham ! ' 

drew down thunders of applause. The tent scene, and the 
battle scene, close the life of the usurper ; and these were played 
in a very superior style of excellence. The spirit, the energy^ 
and the fury of a disappointed usurper, were never more 
admirably delineated. In her dying scene, she was eminently 
successful. Upon the whole, the talents of Miss Fisher suffer 



348 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

no diminution from comparison. The voice of approbation was 
loud and general ; and the present commendation will receive 
a support from every one who was fortunate enough to witness 
her exertions. It is but fair to mention that she had travelled 
the whole of the preceding night, without the refreshment of 
slumber ; and that her father declares that she never saw the 
play of c Richard the Third ' acted before ! Let these things be 
considered, and they will justify us in asserting with Johnson, 
that she ' is not the greatest, only because she is not the first,' 
Her performance of Richard was allowed by those who had seen 
both of them, greatly to exceed that of her well-known rival," 
Henry Betty. This last-named celebrity, called the " English 
Roscius," performed at Cheltenham in June, 1806. 

" Fashionable Theatricals. The anticipated Amateur Play at 
our theatre, on Tuesday evening, was one of the most brilliant 
performances of its nature we ever witnessed ; and it was 
maintained with such mastery, that though the night had passed 
previous to its conclusion, the audience were amused and 
delighted to its end. The vindictive Iago, supported by Col. 
Berkeley, (Earl Eitzhardinge), was a perfect portraiture ; and 
while it gave the just and living picture of the poet's genius, 
reflected matchless lustre on the talents of the performer. 
Capt. Austin represented the Moor, and Capt. Berkeley Cassio." 
(Cheltenham Chronicle, 1814). 

On July 9th, 1816, the late Duke of Wellington, and a large 
party of the nobility, attended, when the celebrated Madame 
Vestris performed in the " Rencontre," by His Grace's desire. 
The Duke and Duchess paid a second visit in August, 1828, 
when the same actress was again engaged, and played in " The 
One Hundred Pound Note." 

On October 3rd, 1809, the theatre was honoured with the 
presence of three members of the Royal Family, who were then 
on a visit — the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Gloucester, and 
His Serene Highness the Prince of Orange. The pieces played 
Were the "Busy Body" and "Turnpike Gate," and were for 
the benefit of Miss Jameson. The celebrated local tight-rope 
dancer, Richer, performed the whole of his inimitable manoeuvres, 
with his accustomed ease and elegance* and was cheered with 
the warmest plaudits of their Royal Highnesses, who appeared 
highly satisfied;, as well as of a very crowded audience. The. 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 349 

Cheltenham Chronicle, of Sept. 20, 1810, announces, that after 
the performance of Mrs. Jordan on the Tuesday previous, the 
receipts were £113 19s. 

One of the most successful of our local female performers, 
after Mrs. Siddons, was the Miss Mellon before alluded to. Her 
mother and father-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Entwisle, kept the Post 
Office for a number of years in this town. It was in connection 
with our original theatre, that Miss Mellon was enabled to gain 
that fame which afterwards led her to fortune. It was in our 
Old Well Walk that she was first seen and admired by her after 
husband — the rich banker. The then poor Miss Mellon was 
advised to play in London — an event which led to her becoming 
Mrs. Coutts. A few years afterwards, when Duchess of St. 
Albans, she once more visited this town, and became a warm 
patron of that theatre which had been chiefly instrumental in 
placing her in the titled and wealthy position which she then 
occupied. We remember, with satisfaction, the crowded houses 
which assembled to greet her presence in the box, and the 
unlimited nature of her gifts to the local poor ; and last, though 
not least, her erection of the tablet in our churchyard to the 
memory of her deceased parents. 

" It was at Cheltenham that Miss Mellon displayed those 
abilities for the stage which in after-life acquired her fame. 
Here it was that she resided with her mother and father-in-law, 
who kept a music shop and post office on the premises now 
occupied by Mr. Williams, brush maker, in the High Street." 

The intimate connection of this lady with the early history of 
our local theatricals, is so little known, that we will quote from 
the " Memoirs of the Duchess of St. Albans," a passage 
illustrating her first benefit, and her interview with Mr. Coutts. 

" Mrs. Entwisle, by her frank lively manner, and love of 
gossip, was very popular among the middle classes ; so that, 
with her innate skill, she had always the power of ' making good 
her own story ' to a large majority, who, in their turn, spread 
the story further ; and, therefore, when she detailed how ' hardly 
the master of ceremonies had behaved to the dutiful child, who 
had relinquished every shilling of her earnings for her mother's 
support, 5 there were few residents in Cheltenham who did not 
hear of and sympathize in the tale. Miss Mellon accordingly 
came down to gather a golden harvest from such well-prepared 



850 HISTORT OF CHELTENHAM, 

ground. Her female friend, of course, accompanied her ; and 
when these two handsome and ladylike young women, guarded 
by the Argus parent, Mrs. Entwisle, went round to request 
patronage, it may be supposed that few were inclined to refuse 
them : in short, Miss Mellon's benefit was such a dazzling 
triumph over the mortified master of the ceremonies, that it is 
said he never forgave it. At that time there was, among the 
visitors at Cheltenham, an elderly invalid gentleman, who did 
not join in society, but passed many hours daily taking exercise 
in the Long Walk. Mrs. Entwisle soon discovered, by hints 
dropped by his servant to the lodging people, — who, however, 
did not know his name, — that * his master, notwithstanding his 
penurious appearance, was considered one of the richest people 
in London ; but that he was very unhappy in consequence of 
thinking that his wife, also advanced in years, was going out of 
her mind, — which preyed on his spirits so much, that he had 
been ill, and was now trying Cheltenham for a change. Her 
immediate reflection was, that the richest gentleman in London 
might take a box at the theatre for the benefit night, though he 
was ever so sad ; and this idea was communicated to her 
daughter. A respectful note of solicitation to that effect was 
given to the attendant at the pump-room, a few days before the 
performance, to present to the remarkable-looking old gentleman ; 
but as no answer was returned, the three females decided that 
' the moping, thin old creature, was too full of his own troubles 
to care about those of other people. 9 On the day but one after 
sending their note, Miss Mellon and her friend were sauntering 
very early in the Long Walk, when they were overtaken by the 
old gentleman. He introduced himself to Miss Mellon, whom 
he said he knew by sight in Drury-lane green room, — to 
apologize for not having sooner answered the application, for 
which he accounted by a great pressure of London corres- 
pondence ; but he trusted his silence had been considered an 
assent to patronising her laudable filial efforts, of which he had 
heard admirable accounts at every turn in Cheltenham. The 
young ladies tendered their best thanks and brightest smiles. 
Their new friend mentioned that he had the pleasure that morning 
of sending to the post office his answer respecting the box ; and 
after a conversation of some length, they separated, mutually 
pleased. On hastening home, they found Mrs. Entwisle in 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 351 

ecstacies. There is no knowing what grand vision had been 
conjured up in her wild brain ; but the tangible circumstance 
was, that she held in her hand an open letter from the old 
gentleman, — c the richest person in London,' — who had enclosed 
five guineas for a box, which he desired should be kept for 
Mr. Coutts ; Mr. Coutts !— the Mr. Coutts !— well might the 
servant hint that his master was ' the richest person in London ;' 
— a man whose name was a proverb of wealth even in country 
towns. Thus Mrs. Entwisle raved, wondering at her husband's 
stupidity, that when any one had called for letters to Mr. Coutts, 
he had not directly guessed he was the thin old gentleman, and 
told her so ! But the young friends defended Mr. Entwisle, by 
exclaiming against the idea of anyone supposing that the great 
Mr. Coutts, who managed the royal family, and commanded 
everything he liked, could be an old, pallid, sickly, thin gentle- 
man, in a shabby coat and brown scratch wig. Peace was soon 
restored, as Mrs. Entwisle was in a sunny humour after the 
day's adventure. The new acquaintances met generally in their 
early promenade in the Long Walk ; and when the day of the 
benefit performance arrived, Mr. Coutt's paid Miss Mellon the 
compliment of promising to occupy the box, although he had 
only taken it to patronize her, without intending to go. 53 (Mrs, 
C. B. Wilson). 

The authoress thus alludes to a townsman who has done much 
towards creating a local taste for the legitimate Drama : — " When 
the Drury-iane season terminated, Miss Mellon went immediately 
to stay with her mother in Cheltenham. A great patroness of 
her's was there, the Viscountess Templetown, the amiable Lady 
Mary Montague, daughter of the Earl of Sandwich. When 
Miss Mellon 5 s second benefit was announced, Lady Templetown 
bespoke the pieces, and mentioned the actress so effectually 
among the distinguished visitors at Cheltenham, that the second 
benefit exceeded that of the first." The playbills are still extant, 
at Mr. T. B. Shenton's, at Cheltenham, " Sept. 11, 1804, under 
the patronage of Lady Templetown, for the benefit of Miss 
Mellon, ' The Child of Nature,' Amanthis, Miss Mellon ; with 
s Lovers' Quarrels,' Jacintha, Miss Mellon ; to conclude with 
c The Midnight Hour,' Mora, Miss Mellon." 

In the shop of Mr. Stone, No. 331, High Street, maybe seen 
one of the earliest- known playbills announcing the performance 



352 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of Miss Mellon. This local relic of the Drama reveals, both 
in its orthography and typography, a humble state of things. 
It is of small size, is preserved in a glazed frame, and dated 
1802. It is here given verbatim. 

" Mr, Buckle's night. Several ladies and gentlemen have expressed a wish 
to see Miss Mellon perform again, Mr. Buckle is proud to annouuce that she has 
obligingly consented to perform for his benefit, which is the only night she can 
possibly appear here, as Drury-lane Theatre opens on Saturday next. Theatre 
Royal," Cheltenham. On Thursday, Sept. 9, 1802, their Majesty's servants 
will act Mrs. Cowley's fashionable Comedy, ' A Bold Stroke for a Husband ;' the 
part of Olivia, Miss Mellon : to which will be added, ' The Devil to Pay,' Miss 
Mellon having been particularly requested again to perform the character of Nell. 
Boxes, 3s. 6d.; Pit, 2s. ; Gallery, Is. Doors open at 6, and begin at 7- Tickets 
and places for the boxes to be taken of Mr. Adamson, box-keeper, at the Theatre, 
from 10 to 3, and afterwards at No. 8, or Mr. Eutwisle, music shop, and of Mr. 
Buckle, No. 167. Cheltenham : Printed by Shenton, at the Mercury Press." 

The Cheltenham Chronicle, of March 9th, 1815, announces, 
that on "Wednesday, was married, at St. Pancras' Church, 
Middlesex, Thomas Coutts, Esq., to Miss Harriet Mellon. The 
charitable disposition of this lady, entitle her to the good wishes 
of all. She is daughter of Mrs. Entwisle, of this town, and is 
now the mother-in-law of the Dowager-Countess of Guildford. 35 
The same paper also records on the 11th May following, the 
death of the mother of the Duchess, at the age of 63. The 
Parish Church was hung with black, upon the occasion of 
Mrs. Entwisle's funeral. The service was conducted, and the 
sermon preached, by the Rev. Dr. "Poulkes, and the procession 
included two thousand parishioners, Her daughter, the Duchess 
of St. Albans, during her visits to the town, erected monuments 
to her mother's memory, both in the church and churchyard. 
These memorials were restored a few years since by Miss Burdett 
Coutts, the heiress to the rich Duchess, during a local sojourn. 

Mr. T. B. Shenton, to whom Mrs. Wilson acknowledges her 
obligation for contributions towards her memoir of the rich 
Duchess, has been for many years a popular amateur performer. 
The Cheltenham Examiner, of April 1, 1857, records, — "That 
Mr. T. B. Shenton, our veteran amateur and townsman, has just 
been presented with an elegant silver snuff box, by J. Polls, Esq., 
as a token of the personal appreciation of the donor, and as 
some return for the services which, at a short notice, were 
rendered by him in supplying his (Mr. Polls) place at the 
performance given by the gentlemen amateurs, at the Poyal 
Old Wells, on Friday the 20th ult." 



DRAMATIC HISTOSY. 353 

The theatre, which was for so many years a source of 
attraction both to visitors and residents, was destroyed by fire 
on May 3, 1839. It was a calamity that will long be remem- 
bered, and was one of the most destructive local fires known, as 
will be evident from the accounts in the local press : — 

" AWFUL FIRE. — TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE 
THEATRE ROYAL. 

" It is our painful duty to describe the utter demolition of 
this much improved place of rational amusement. The first 
intimation cf this awful calamity was given about four o'clock 
yesterday morning — strange to say, not by any beholder of the 
fire, but by a person occupying a room in the adjoining house, 
whom the extreme heat awoke, and who then discovered the 
cause to be the entire envelopment of the theatre in one mass 
of flame. 

" After some delay, the engines arrived, but not till such time 
as the total destruction of the building was completed. The 
chief object of those conducting the directions of the hose was, 
therefore, the protection of the adjoining houses : in this attempt, 
we are happy to say, the parties concerned were completely 
successful, — not one of the surrounding buildings being at all 
damaged, with the exception of a cellar occupied by Mr. Garrett. 
It was a most merciful circumstance that there was scarcely a 
breath of air stirring. The stationary appearance of the flames 
can be best illustrated by the comparison of an enormous fire 
purposely enclosed within four walls, whence they shot up in a 
continued and overwhelming column, of intense brilliancy and 
fearful beauty. One by one as the ponderous beams fell in, 
myriads of sparks clustered above the high and sparkling beacon 
of ruins. So intense was the action of the fire, that no single 
article could be saved ; — everything perished, — pit, gallery, boxes, 
ceiling, stage, scenery, dresses, properties, books, music, — all 
became amalgamated in one huge mass of burning matter. 

" One of the musicians, Mr. North, lost a valuable double 
bass j and the wardrobe-keeper, some private dresses. We are 
happy to say these are the only sufferers in the theatre, except 
the manager, Mr. Grattan, whose loss is very considerable. The 
toil and expense of the last eight months employed in beautifying 
the theatre, adding to and repairing the scenery, (of which, in 



354 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

conjunction with many others, we were, last night, speaking in 
terms of the highest praise), his hopes of being compensated 
for the losses he has already sustained, now the fine weather has 
set in, and from the impossibility of fulfilling his star engage- 
ments, are all lost and thrown away. 

" No cause can be assigned from which the fire could have 
sprung. The performances last evening were " Douglas " and 
" The Little Jockey," in neither of which are there any pistols 
or stage fire used. The foot and chandelier lights were 
extinguished in Mr. Grattan's presence at 11 o'clock. The 
house was then gone over by Mr. Cox, Mr. Collett, and Mr. 
Smith, of High Street, and found to be perfectly secure ; there 
have been no fires used for two days. Soon after the alarm, 
Mr. Grattan, Mr. Cox, and Mr. Hartell were on the spot, but 
to save the theatre was hopeless." {Cheltenham Free Press, 
May 4, 1839.) 

We recall with pleasure the many dramatic representations 
witnessed in this temple of entertainment, aided by the talent 
of Ward, Wallack, Sheridan Knowles, T. P. Cooke, Yates, 
Anderson, Spencer, Macready, Boucicault (the author of " The 
Colleen Bawn,") Penley, Crisp, Howard, and a host of others 
equally celebrated. The local amateurs, who are numerous, have 
done much to popularize the drama ; while the large sums 
given to witness their performances have benefitted the 
charities of the town, — thus practically demonstrating the 
beneficial influence of the study of dramatic literature. Well 
and truly was this influence expressed in a prologue spoken by 
W. M. Tartt, Esq., J.P., upon the occasion of one of these 
amateur performances for benevolent objects, given at the 
Assembly Booms, in January, 1849, and which called from the 
Times the remark, — " The result is good, and the means are 
harmless " 

" But should they fail, be it understood, 
We take your money oDly to do good, 
And, if you cannot yield us your applause, 
Withhold your blame in homage to our cause ; 
We come to aid ' the greatest of the three/— 
The pure and holy being — Charity*" 

Besides the theatre destroyed by fire, there existed another* 
which, although unassuming in character, for many years enjoyed 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 355 

a deserved popularity. This was the Sadlers' Wells Theatre, 
situate at the bottom of St. George's Place, and still in use as a 
private dwelling. It was established by a talented family of the 
name of Seward, and, in character, was similar to the Marionette 
Theatre of the metropolis. Automaton figures moved and acted 
with all the reality of life, whilst the deception was heightened 
by well-executed scenery. This place was well supported, and 
perhaps was the best provincial exhibition of its kind. Its 
decay was coeval with the death of its original founders. 

Cheltenham is further associated with the past history of the 
Drama, from its possessing a record which has tended to elucidate 
the text of Shakespere on a most interesting subject. The 
ancient custom of applying the title of " Sir " in lieu of the 
modern one of " Eeverend " to divines of the Church of 
England, was prevalent at the time Shakespere wrote his plays, 
and consequently the great dramatist uses the prefix " Sir " in 
the sense that we now use that of " Rev." The practice of this 
custom is fully proved by the record of burials during the reign 
of Elizabeth, preserved in the vestry at the Cheltenham Parish 
Church. The perpetual curates or incumbents who held the 
living since the Reformation, are registered " Sir," — the last 
instance being that of " Sir John Evans, Curate of Cheltenham," 
under date of August 31st, 1574. We directed attention to 
this fact in 1 844, and the public announcement had the effect of 
producing a discussion of the subject, and of settling the 
question at issue. Mr. Halliwell, who has done so much 
towards elucidating the text of the inimitable bard, availed 
himself of the discovery, and addressed the following letter, 
which was promptly replied to by the clerk in charge of the 
document : — 

« Brixton Hill, Surrey, Nov. 17tb, 1853. 
" Sir, — I should feel very deeply obliged if you could furnish me with a literal 
copy of the entry in the Cheltenham "Register of Burials, Aug. 31st, 1574, of the 
burial of ' Sir ' John Evans, Curate of Cheltenham. I merely desire it for the 
purpose of showing the ancient custom of clergymen being styled ' Sir,' to 
illustrate a passage in Shakespere ; and being solely for a literary object of this 
kind, I feel sure you will obligingly excuse this intrusion. 

"J.O. Halliwell." 

To Mr. Halliwell we are also indebted for the preservation of 
the site of Shakespere's residence at Stratford, and for its 
becoming public property. 



356 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Another local incident connected with Shakespere, is the fact 
that his favourite Jug and other relics were for many years 
deposited at the adjacent residence of Mrs. Tuberville, at 
Charlton House; and at that lady's decease in 1844, these 
mementos of the immortal bard passed to Mrs. Fletcher, of 
Gloucester, formerly Miss Hart, of Tewkesbury, a collateral 
descendant of Joan Hart, the bard's favourite sister. The Jug- 
is of cream-coloured earthenware, ornamented with raised figures, 
in somewhat clear relief. It is divided longitudinally into 
eight compartments, and horizontally subdivided, and within 
these some of the principal deities in Grecian mythology are 
represented. A few years since, a neat silver top was added, 
intended as a profile of the bard. This relict was originally 
given by Shakespere to his sister Joan, from whom it has 
regularly been possessed by the female descendants — the Harts 
of Tewkesbury. Many members of the Hart family, who also 
take the name of Shakespere, lie interred in the churchyard of 
the Abbey Church, at Tewkesbury, where monuments to their 
memory still exist. 

There are also local associations which show a connection 
with the tragic muse. In the vicinity have been born those 
who, in their day, exerted by their dramatic compositions a great 
influence on the public mind. Northway, near Ashchurch, was 
the birth-place of William Cartwright (1611) ; Tewkesbury 
that of Eichard Estcourt (1668); and Bourton-on-the-Hill that 
of Sir Thomas W. Overbury (1581). Ail these were the con- 
temporaries of Skakespere, and, like him, tended to create that 
taste for the stage, which will endure so long as the world values 
the representation of human virtues. It was in the town, or 
around it in the environs, that so many of our modern dramatic 
writers composed their celebrated works. Here have repaired 
Sheridan Knowles, Bulwer, Jerrold, Kemble, Millett ; and here 
it was that " The Love Chase," " Ion," and " Alladin," were 
principally composed. 

We have seen, at the commencement of this chapter, that the 
locality was always favourable to the encouragement of the 
Drama ; that long before a building was set apart— more than 
two centuries since — the poor strolling player found his patrons 
among the inhabitants of " Old Cheltenham/' There are records 
extant which shew the early period at which plays were locally 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 357 

encouraged for religious objects. The parochial documents of 
Tewkesbury and oilier neighbouring places, reveals some very 
curious facts. 

M The county histories prove that dramatic performances 
were formerly practised in the church. One account states that 
the following entries were recorded in the churchwardens' books : 
* A.l). 1578, paid for the players geers, six sheepskins for Christ's 
garments ;' and under date of 1585, ' Order eight heads of hair 
for the Apostles, and ten beards, and a face or vizor for the 
Devil ! ' These curious extracts are further shown to be 
historically true by the following entry which appears in the 
book kept by the bailiffs of the borough for 15S4 : — ' Laid out 
by them unto players, in wine to the justices, rent for their 
market standing, and to the clerk of the market, and in senescLal 
money, £3 15s. 8d.' It is truly singular, yet nevertheless true, 
that at one period religious plays were performed at most churches 
of England after Divine service, and at Tewkesbury Abbey 
Church among the number." (Bennett's Tewkesbury.) 

Fosbrooke quotes Smythe and Strutt to verify the charges 
contained in vestry documents in reference to players, and cites 
the performance of " The Lord of Misrule," on Sunday, at 
Wooton Church, and adds that the " company marched to church 
with drummers thundering ! " After plays were discontinued in 
churches, they were performed, by the aid of wooden figures 
dressed in character, in the public streets ; and, according to 
Hall, this county was especially celebrated for its religious plays. 
Punch and Judy is a relict of these old miracle plays : " the 
representation is of the august scene in the hall of judgment, — 
Punch being a corruption of the name of a principal character, 
Pontius Pilate, and Judy, of Judith his wife." (Chambers 
Journal^ May, 1861). 

The modern history of the Drama, locally speaking, is 
rendered further interesting by the connection by residence of 
one of the greatest delineators of dramatic literature of the 
present age. It is a singular coincidence that the same retired 
and beautiful locality should have been selected by Macready for 
his residence, as was chosen by a Siddons. Not far from the spo t 
where Birch Farm was located, and where the tragic actress abode 
in her declining years, Macready, full of well-earned honours, and 
in the enjoyment of health and domestic happiness, now abides. 



358 HISTOUY OE CHELTENHAM. 

It is a remarkable fact that our loGal press has recorded the 
first appearance of this great man on the stage. The editor of 
the Cheltenham Chronicle, of Sept. 26, 1816, introduces the 
following notice in his account of dramatic news. " At Covent 
Garden, last week, Mr. Macready came out as Orestes in the 
c Distressed Mother.' His voice and person are well adapted 
to the stage. He was highly applauded by a crowded audience ; 
and we are much deceived if he does not ultimately bear away 
the palm from most of his contemporaries." The prophecy has 
been fulfilled. Macready has won the laurels of fame, and has 
retired, honoured and respected, to that town whose local press 
forty-five years ago predicted his future success in life. Long- 
may he continue his abode among us, and, like the inimitable 
Siddons, derive invigorating strength and support in his later 
years from the salubrious air of Cheltenham. Macready has 
done much to advance the cause of the legitimate drama. His 
performances in this town at the Cambray Theatre, will for ever 
live in the remembrance of those who had the good fortune to 
witness them. This eminent tragedian, like John Kemble who 
made his first start in life in Cheltenham, was educated for the 
Church. This, no doubt, accounts for his success in after-life, 
through being enabled to unite a high intellectual culture with 
the profession of an actor. So it should always be ; the 
performer ought ever to thoroughly understand and appreciate 
the composition of the author he attempts to illustrate on the 
stage. William Charles Macready was born in London on 
March 3, 1793, and received his education at Rugby, under the 
celebrated Dr. Arnold. Here he was distinguished for his 
classical acquirements ; and had he entered the church as 
intended, he might, with his great oratorical powers, have 
become a popular preacher. But Shakespere had more influence 
over his highly gifted mind than any ecclesiastical institution, 
however wealthy ; and it was fortunate for the interests of the 
Drama that his thoughts were so directed. We are indebted 
to him for many refinements of the stage, and for elevating 
the tone of natural taste. His career was one of the most 
marked success. Not only England, but America and France 
courted his services ; and it is said that he drew together 
the largest theatrical audiences that ever assembled in the 
United States. 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 359 

" Mr. Macready lives in all the endearments of domestic 
association — his private character is most exemplary, and bis 
nature most benevolent to all those who come within its scope. 
In a word, he is in every sense eminently — the gentleman." 
{Theatrical Times.) 

The family connections of this great man have been many 
years residents. His brother, Major Macready, lies interred in 
Leckhampton churchyard, and the high esteem in which he was 
held, induces surviving relatives to adorn his tomb with a variety 
of floral productions, which render it, as it deserves to be, a 
source of attraction both to visitors and residents. The 
memorial is a massive cross, and affection has covered the grave 
with flowers of all hues. 

" Mr. Macready, whose heart is as simple and affectionate as 
his genius is mighty, has, since his retirement from the stage, 
devoted a large share of his energies to the benevolent task of 
extending education amongst the youth of his country. 35 {Chelt- 
enham Examiner, April 6, 1859.) 

The best testimony to the private virtues of the great 
tragedian is to be found in the following lines, penned as a 
dedication to an exquisite volume of poems, recently published 
by his daughter, Miss Catherine F. B. Macready : — 

"TO MY EAT HER. 

" For ever loved, revered — my heart's first friend, — 
Tender as love itself, and true as truth, 
I would that men might see thee with mj eyes, 
Know thee as I have known — then should fame's wreath 
(Bound on thy brows of yore) new semblance take, 
And show thee halo'd with celestial light ! 
Yet I, who know thee best, and have enshrined 
Thy virtues in my soul, shall feeblest prove 
To speak, how dear thy worth ! — That which has been 
Most noble in thee, never can be known. 
Oh, loving lips, long silent in the grave, 
Could but the old life warm them for a space, 
How would they echo now my poor applause. 
And oh, if this adventurous tongue can bonst 
The transcript of one pure intent, true thought, 
Orgenerous aspiration, unto thee 
Alone be praise ! All good ray life can show 
Is of thy teaching, aud in offering thee 
This lowly tribute of my grateful love, 
God knows, I give thee but thine own again ! " 



360 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The Dramatic history of Cheltenham, it must be confessed, 
belongs to the past. The crowded auditories which assemble to 
witness the occasional performances that take place, demonstrate 
that a taste for the Drama yet exists in the locality ; but no 
public theatre has supplied the place of the one destroyed by 
fire. This state of things is most deeply to be deplored ; for, 
while on the one hand we admit that much reformation is needed 
in the theatrical taste of the present day, yet, on the other hand, 
we contend that the stated performance of the legitimate Drama 
— the productions of Shakespere, Otway, and Massinger — 
would be of incalculable benefit to the community, by creating 
a love for virtuous actions. The theatre, in a reformed state, 
would, in our opinion, be an important and highly influential 
school of morality, and we should rejoice to once more witness 
the erection of a building in this town devoted to the rational 
and instructive amusements of the Drama. 

The regular and stated representation of the legitimate Drama 
in this town is much required from the circumstance of its being 
a place of resort for the wealthy and fashionable, as well as for 
the invalid. However salutary the effects of the long-since 
justly celebrated chaiybeates of Cheltenham may be, yet we were 
always of opinion that the end for which they have been resorted 
to, would even be more effectually attained by opportunities 
being afforded to invalids of enjoying the innocent and exhili- 
rating delights of varied recreation. Eational amusements are 
alone wanting to give a full and more effective force to its great 
and attractive power, by rendering it at once the seat of health, 
the abode of recreative enjoyment, and innocent, invigorating 
pleasure. It is not the mere abstract efficacy of the waters 
themselves, powerful no doubt as they are in their effects, which 
can afford the visitor all that he proposes to himself, or expects 
to await him during his sojourn at a fashionable watering place ; — 
he expects to find an agreeable combination of different little 
pleasures and amusements on various scales of attraction, — all 
calculated to promote, by their operation on the mind, in several 
succession, the great and paramount benefit which he hopes to 
derive to his bodily health from the frequent use of these 
healing waters. 

When reflecting upon the more celebrated individuals who 
have, in by-gone days, contributed by their histrionic talents to 



DRAMATIC HISTORY. 361 

amuse the visitors and inhabitants of Cheltenham, we can but 
regret the want of a theatre at the present day. That a town 
surrounded with a population of 50,000, should not possess a 
temple wherein the tragic muse might be celebrated, is remark- 
able, and certainty not in unison with human progression. Never 
was there a time more than at the present moment, when the 
friends of the drama ought to exert themselves, and endeavour 
to create a public taste for theatrical performances. The 
tendency of the age is evidently towards temperance, and the 
time formerly employed in more debasing pursuits, will, in 
future, be bestowed upon objects more rational. A gloomy state 
of society, without pleasurable excitement, will invariably lead 
to drunkenness and infidelity. Man was made to enjoy, as well 
as to labour, and one of the best means that can be adopted to 
aid the great moral movement now in progress, would be the 
establishment of innocent recreations, through the medium of 
the legitimate Drama. The stated performance of first-rate 
actors at Cheltenham, besides contributing to the public amuse- 
ment, would have a direct tendency to promote good morals ; 
for in the plays of the best authors there is nothing which can 
possibly be objected to by the strictest moralist, nor does religion 
itself say one word against the drama. Its great founder never 
deprecated the theatrical establishments of Herod the Great, 
although the Jews were taxed to support them ; and even St. 
Paul quotes a dramatic poet, which shews his acquaintance 
with the Attic Drama. False notions have too long been current 
respecting the play and players ; but if objections are calmly 
weighed, they will be found to be made against the abase, and 
not against the right use of the stage. The greatest writer of 
the present century, the Rev. Dr. Channing, truly remarks : — 
" I can conceive of a theatre, which would be the noblest of all 
amusements, and would take a high rank among the means of 
refining the taste and elevating the character of the people. 
The deep woes, the mighty and terrible passions, and the sublime 
emotions of genuine tragedy, are fitted to thrill us with human 
sympathies, with profound interest in our nature, with a con- 
sciousness of what man can do, and dare, and suffer, with an 
awed feeling of the fearful mysteries of life. The soul of the 
spectator is stirred from its depths ; and the lethargy in which 
so many live, is roused, at least for a time, to some intenseness 



362 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of thought and sensibility. The Drama answers a high purpose 
when it places us in the presence of the most solemn and striking 
events of human history, and lays bare to us the human heart 
in its most powerful, appalling, and glorious workings." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

political l^tstorg- 

HISTORY and tradition unite in proving that at one time 
Cheltenham returned two members to the House of 
Commons. It was, doubtless, from the circumstance of the 
town being monastic property, that such a right was first 
created. So early as the ninth century, a Priory existed, and 
the principals of these religious institutions were summoned to 
serve in Parliament, and their various constituences were com- 
pelled by legal enactments to contribute towards their support. 
That the town of Cheltenham was represented in Parliament so 
early as the reign of Henry III., is evident from the fact related 
by the editor of " Camden's Britannia," that the King ex- 
changed away the manor in order to rid himself of two trouble- 
some members — "certain religious men, who intermingled 
secretly in matters of state. (Edition of 1695, p. 178.) Prinn 
has also recorded the particulars of this interesting fact. The 
historians who record the statistics connected with the various 
monasteries and Catholic institutions which once were scattered 
over this extensive country, include Cheltenham among the list 
of places sending Parliamentary representatives. Richard de 
Cheltenham, Abbot of Cheltenham, in the fourteenth century, 
is particularly mentioned by Prinn, as M.P., of the borough. 
Another Abbot of Cheltenham is also alluded to in Hillarii 
Commissiones, 5 Eliz. vol. 2 S as having defended the rights of 
the Stanway copyholders in former times, in Parliament. This 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 363 

was the celebrated Abbot who was afterwards the principal of 
Tewkesbury Abbey, where he was buried in 1509, and where 
a beautiful Gothic altar tomb yet exists to his memory. The 
attempts which were at different times made to gain an 
exemption from this privilege, on the ground of its expense, 
also confirm our view of the case. One of the terms of the 
grant of the manor, made in the fifth year of the reign of 
Edward IV., to the Abbess of Sion, was, " to be free of charges 
of knights and burgesses of Parliament." As a general rule 
only Mitred Abbeys were allowed to send Parliamentary repre- 
sentatives. But other ecclesiastical bodies were also empowered 
with the same right of which this town is an example. This 
arose from the intimate connection which then subsisted between 
the Church and State, and at the Parliaments which were then 
summoned at Gloucester and other places, the affairs of the 
Church engaged more attention than those of the State. 

The dissolution of religious institutions by Henry YIII. 
caused a large amount of poverty in England, and consequently 
produced a complete change in the representee system. The 
chaotic condition of those towns which, like Cheltenham, were 
monastic property, was truly lamentable, and many of them fell 
into decay and obscurity. This was so much the case, that a 
sufficient number of members could not be obtained to serve in 
Parliament, and Queen Elizabeth had to appoint a body to 
examine into the constitution of the various towns which 
neglected to send representatives, with a view of ascertaining 
whether or not the same ought to be exempted. This enquiry, 
the "Pascha Kecorda" and Parliamentary documents of the 
period relate at length, and Cheltenham is among the places 
mentioned as not having sent members according to ancient 
custom. Dyde affirms that the town was in such a state of 
poverty, that the Lord of the Manor petitioned Elizabeth to be 
relieved " both from the trouble and expence of sending two 
members to Parliament, as had been the practice in former 
times," and also that the said Lord of the Manor, William 
Norwood, Esq., had an injunction filed against him for not 
carrying into force various rights of the borough, " but more 
especially that of neglecting to see duly fulfilled the ancient 
custom of the electors of returning at every election, when 
called on by the Crown, two members to Parliament." The 



864 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

trial of William Norwood, Esq., which took place in the thirty- 
second year of the reign of Elizabeth, is among the Prinn 
manuscripts, and Sir John Popham, the Queen's Attorney- 
General, in his opening speech, upon stating the case to the 
court, remarked that the defendant, among other things, claimed 
to be free from sending knights and burgesses to Parliament." 
This trial having been decided in favour of the Lord of the 
Manor, no attempt was again made to enforce the return of 
members to Parlament; the practice fell into disuse, the town 
into an insignificant village, and but for the records of the past, 
its once great and important chartered privileges would have 
been, long ere this, forgotten. 

The poverty of the borough (anciently) becomes apparent 
from the attempt which the then voters made to get excused 
from their Parliamentary duties, more especially when the small- 
ness of the sum required is considered. The wages received by 
M.P.'s were fixed by the 16th of Edward II., at the low rate of 
four shillings per day for County, and two shillings for Borough 
members. There are instances where, upon the plea of poverty, 
a less sum was fixed. Sir John Strange, the MP. for Dun wick, 
agreed to take " a cade and half a barrel of herrings for his 
wages." Cheltenham was not the only place which raised the 
objection on the score of expence. The large county of Lanca- 
shire was returned by the sheriff as a place " where no cities or 
boroughs could, on account of their poverty, send any citizens 
as burgesses to Parliament." 

From the Elizabethan era downwards, there is a complete 
blank in the political history of the town. The inhabitants 
having, for nearly two centuries, been deprived of their ancient 
electoral rights, hailed with delight the movement set on foot to 
amend the representative system of England, by Earl Grey, 
Lord John Eussell, and others, and the passing of the Eeform 
Bill was celebrated on September 26, 1831, by a public dinner 
at the Assembly Rooms, and by an illumination on August 10, 
1832. To commemorate the event a statute of William IV. 
was erected in the Imperial Nursery, near the Queen's Hotel. 
This Act enabled the ratepayers of Cheltenham once more to 
become electors, and from the first carrying out of that 
memorable enactment, the thread of our political history, may 
be said to recommence. 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 365 

It is an interesting fact, and one deserving of record, that, 
although the place for so long a time lost the privilege of 
having a representative of its own, yet at different periods the 
residents have taken an interest in county elections. So early 
as the year 1666 — the reign of Charles II. — we are informed 
by Atkyns that upwards of 200 persons residing in the town 
and hundred were qualified to vote for the county by virtue of 
their freehold possessions. At the great county election in 
1776, one of the most warmly contested and protracted on 
record, 57 inhabitants of Cheltenham polled, as will be here- 
after detailed. 

Intimately connected with the modern portion of our political 
history, is the name of Captain Grey. When the great Reform 
agitation was convulsing the length and breadth of the land, 
this individual, by his powerful and eloquent speeches, aroused 
the inhabitants of the town to a sense of the value of the 
proposed Reform Act, as a means of enabling Cheltenham to 
obtain a Parliamentary representative. Consequently, public 
meetings were held from time to time, until the Bill passed, 
and at them the respected Captain invariably attended, and in 
most instances he was chosen as the chairman. For twenty 
years Captain Grey was an inhabitant of Cheltenham, and, 
although blind, during a portion of that period, he took an 
active and consistent part in connection with political move- 
ments. He died on April 26, 1835, and as a proof of the 
esteem in which he was held, it will be necessary to mention 
that his remains were honoured with a public funeral. Lord 
Segrave (Earl Fitzhardinge), Hon. C, F. Berkeley, M.P., and 
J. Brown, Esq., of Salperton, were among the pall-bearers, 
while the followers comprised the principal inhabitants of all 
shades of political opinions ; and as the mournful cavalcade pro- 
ceeded to St. Mary's Churchyard, it was watched by thousands 
of spectators, many of whom had come from a distance. Capt. 
Grey commarded the 1st troop of Gloucestershire Yeomanry, 
raised durirg the French war, and had a handsome piece of plate 
presented to him by the officers on August 15 th, 1809. 

At thf taking of the census in 1831, the population was found 
to be 22,942, and consequently, under the Reform Act, the town 
became entitled to a parliamentary representative. The 10th 
day of December, 1832, was fixed for the nomination of a 



366 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

candidate, and the Hon. Craven Pitzhardinge Berkeley had the 
honour of being returned, without opposition, the first member 
of this " Queen of Watering Places. 55 Three years afterwards 
a general election occurred, when the standing member again 
solicited the suffrages of the electors in the Liberal interest, as 
did also William Penn Graskell, Esq., B.A .. (a descendant of the 
founder of Pennsylvania) on the Radical interest. The election 
took place in 1835, and at the close of the poll the result was 
as follows :■*-* 

Hon. C. F. Berkeley (Liberal) 412 

W. P.. Gaskell, Esq. (Radical) 25 

Majority of Votes for Berkeley 387 

For the second time Mr. Berkeley was accordingly returned as 
the Parliamentary representative ; and, at the general election 
in 1837, he again declared himself a candidate. At the same 
time he was opposed by Jonathan Peel, Esq., a conservative 
gentleman, and nearly allied to Sir Eobert Peel, Bart. The 
contest terminated thus : — 

Hon. C.F. Berkeley (Liberal) 632 

Jonathan Peel, Esq. (Conservative) 298 

Majority of votes for Berkeley ... ... ... 334 

The next general election was in 1841, and Mr. Berkeley once 
more presented himself on the hustings, and was again destined 
to be the successful candidate, although the contest was a severe 
one. Two other persons were also put in nomination with him— 
James Agg Gardner, Esq., Lord of the Manor, a gentleman 
professing conservative principles, and Col. Peyronet Thompson. 
At the close of the poll the numbers were thus declared :— 

Hon. C. F. Berkeley (Liberal) 764 

3. A. Gardner, Esq. (Conservative) 655 

Col. Thompson (Radical) 4 

Majority of votes for Berkeley 109 

In 1847, another general election occurred, and the event gave 
rise to one of the most spirited and exciting political agitations 
which the town ever witnessed. The candidates were the Hon. 
C. P. Berkeley, Sir Willoughby Jones, Bart., of Norfolk, and 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 367 

Capt. C. Smith, — the two latter gentlemen being in the conser- 
vative interest. The contest thus terminated : — 

Sir W. Jones, Bart. (Conservative) ... ... ... 1015 

Hon. C. F. Berkeley (Liberal) 907 

Capt. C. Smith (Conservative) ... ... ... 4 

Majority of votes for Jones 108 

The return of Sir W. Jones was opposed by a petition to 
Parliament, on the ground of alleged bribery practices. On 
May 28, 1848, a Committee of the House of Commons reported 
that the last Election for Cheltenham was null and void, in 
consequence of the agents of Sir W. Jones having been guilty 
of bribery. This decision led to another contest. On July 28, 
1848, the Hon. C.P.Berkeley and J.A.Gardner, Esq., the 
same candidates as in 1841, were again proposed, and the result 
was as follows : — 

Hon. C. P. Berkeley (Liberal) 1028 

J. A, Gardner, Esq. (Conservative) 859 

Majority oi votes for Berkeley 169 

A petition was presented against the Hon. C. E. Berkeley, 
founded upon a then local practice of giving electors refresh- 
ments. On Aug. 24, 1848, the House of Commons committee 
who heard the case, declared the election to be void, on the 
ground that several friends of Mr. Berkeley had practised 
treating. Thus, once again the suffrages of the electors had to 
be solicited. By these decisions, both Sir W. Jones and the 
Hon. C. E. Berkeley were disqualified from sitting in Parliament 
until after a dissolution had taken place. Consequently, both 
political parties brought forward new candidates. The Liberal 
interest was represented by Grenville C. L. Berkeley, Esq., a 
cousin of the late M.P., and the Conservative interest by Bickham 
Escott, Esq., a gentleman of the county of Somerset. On 
Sept. 2, 1848, the nomination took place, and the following 
were the number of votes recorded : — 

Grenville C. L. Berkeley, Esq. (Liberal) 986 

Bickham Escott, Esq. (Conservative) 835 

Majority of voteB for Berkeley 151 



368 HISTOKY OP CHELTENHAM. 

Grenville Charles Lennox Berkeley, Esq., who was thus 
returned for the first time for the borough, was second son of 
the late Admiral the Hon. Sir George Berkeley, Gr.C.B., by the 
daughter of Lord George Lennox. He was born in London, 
1806; married, 1827, Augusta Elizabeth, daughter of J. H. 
Leigh, Esq., of Stoneleigh Abbey, and sister to the first Lord 
Leigh, lie was formerly a captain in the 52nd Eegiment of 
Light Infantry. He held office under the Aberdeen adminis- 
tration ; and after he retired from the representation of this 
borough, he was chosen M.P. for Evesham. At the general 
election in 1852, the same candidates entered the field as in 
1847, and the choice of the voters rested for the seventh time 
upon the original member — the Hon. C. E. Berkeley. On 
July 8, 1852, these gentlemen were again nominated, and the 
official return was thus declared : — 

Hon.C. F. Berkeley (Liberal) 999 

Sir W .Jones, Bart. (Conservative) ... ... ... 869 

Majority of votei for Berkeley 130 

The lamented death of the Hon, C. E. Berkeley, who had 
represented the borough in the House of Commons for a period 
of twenty-three years, again caused the electors to make another 
choice. Two candidates presented themselves. One was Gren- 
ville C. L. Berkeley, a former member, and William Eidler, Esq., 
a banker of the town. The nomination occurred on July 14, 
1855, and the returns were as follows :— 

Grenville C. L. Berkeley, Esq. (Liberal) 760 

William Ridler, Esq. (Conservative) ... 178 

Majority for Berkeley 582 

In consequence of Mr. Berkeley receiving a lucrative appoint- 
ment under government, as Commissioner of Customs, he had 
to resign his parliamentary office. The result was another 
election in the borough. On May 8,1856, Capt. (now Col.) 
Berkeley, a cousin of the former representative, and G\ Halliwell, 
Esq., one of the local magistrates, were put in nomination. At 
the close of the poll, the numbers were, — 

Captain Berkeley (Liberal) ... ., 841 

G. Halliwell, Esq. (Conservative) ... ... ... 655 

Majority for Berkeley ., ,. 186 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 369 

In the following year, an election again took place. The 
nomination day was on March 27th, 1857. The sitting member 
was unopposed — a circumstance without a precedent since the 
town had enjoyed the right of returning a representative. This 
incident was so ably alluded to in the Address issued at the 
time by the elected member, that we here transcribe it in lieu of 
" the state of the poll :"— 

" TO THE ELECTORS OE THE BOROUGH OE CHELTENHAM. 

" Gentlemen, — I return you my siucere thanks for the distinguished honour 
which you have again conferred upon me, in el -cting- me as your Representative 
iu the House of Commons. That honour is considerably enhanced when 1 
remember that this is the first Election, since 1832, at which tlie Candidate brought 
forward by the Liberal Party lias been returned, without opposition, by the large 
and independent constituency of the Borough. 

" I trust that this will be the commencement of a new era in the history of 
Cheltenham, and that with the cessation of Party strife, our highly-favoured town 
will go on increasing in prosperity. 

"While faithfully maintaining the Liberal opinions which I have expressed in 
my previous addresses, I shall at all times have great pleasure in giving my best 
attention to suggestions received from any of my constituents. 

"Again returning you my grateful thanks for the generous confidence you have 
thus unanimously reposed in me, 

" I have the honour to remain. 
Gentlemen, 
Your obliged and faithful servant, 

"FRANCIS W. F. BERKELEY." 
"George Hotel, March 27,1857" 

At the general election in 1859, the former member again 
solicited the suffrages of the electors, as did also Charles 
Schreiber, Esq., a gentleman whose family connections reside in 
the town. The day of nomination was on April 30th, and from 
the .Returning Officer's statement annexed, it will be seen that 
it was one of the severest contests the borough had witnessed, 
the votes being nearly equal for both candidates : — 

Colonel F. W. F. Berkeley (Liberal) 922 

Charles Schreiber, Esq. (Conservative) 910 

Majority for Berkeley 12 

Prom the foregoing statistics it will be seen, that for a 
period of nearly thirty years the town has enjoyed the pri- 
vilege of being represented in the great council of the nation 
During this time it has made considerable progress in population, 
and consequently there has been a proportionate increase in the 



370 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

number of electors. In 1832, when the Keform Act came into 
operation, there were not a thousand persons eligible to vote ; 
but in 1843, the number of registered electors of the Borough 
of Cheltenham were declared by the revising barrister to be 
2,100; and in 1845, he fixed the number at 2,300 ; in 1851, 
at 2,295 ; in 1860, at 2,385 ; in 1861, at 2,695 ; and in 1862, 
at 2.493. With a population of 40,000 persons, it is certainly 
to be desired that increased political rights may be acquired, 
and that the most fashionable and celebrated watering-place in 
England will once more recur to its ancient practice of electing 
two parliamentary representatives. May the historian of the 
future be enabled to record the enjoyment of extended political 
rights by the inhabitants of Cheltenham, and may those who 
shall have obtained those rights, consider that they hold them 
as a trust highly responsible, not for the benefit of their con- 
stituency alone, but for the community at large, for the purpose 
of advancing the moral, political, and social well-being of the 
whole human race. 

Prom what has been adduced, it appears that members of 
" the noble House of Berkeley " have represented the borough 
in Parliament since the passing of the Keform Act. The present 
M.P. has filled the office since 1856. He is Lieut.- Colonel of 
the South Gloucestershire Militia, and holds similar rank in the 
Hussars and Horse Guards. He is allied by marriage to the 
present Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Winchester, 
having married Miss Sumner, eldest daughter of Colonel H. 
Sumner, M.P. In Dod's " Parliamentary Companion " for 1861, 
the M.P. for the borough, is thus described : 

"Berkeley, Francis William Fitz-Hardinge, M.P. for Cheltenham, eldest son 
of the Right Hon. Sir Maurice F. Fitz-Hardinsr< i Berkeley, by his first wife Lady 
Charlotte, sixth daughter of the fourth Duke of Richmond. Born 1826 ; married 
1857, Georgina, only daughter of Col. Holme Sumner, of Hatchlands, Surrey. 
Educated at Rugby. Appointed Captain Royal Horse Guards, September, 1853 ; 
retired December, 1857, when he became Honorary Colonel of the South 
Gloucester Militia; appointed Lieut. -Col. Commandant of the same regiment, 
1860. A Liberal : in favour of the extension of the suffrage to £5 householders, 
and vote by Ballot, the abolition of Church Rates, and the general but not com- 
pulsory education of the people." 

The Hon. Col. Berkeley is the eldest son, and consequently 
the heir to the title and estates of the gallant and patriotic 
statesman and defender of his country — the Lord Fitzharding-e, 
90 long known as the Bight Hon. Sir Maurice Fitzhardinge 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 371 

Berkeley, who on August 3, 1861, was created by the Queen 
to the dignity of " a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great 
Britain and Ireland, by the name, style, and title of Baron 
Fitzhardinge, of the city and county of Bristol." 

This nobleman was born in 1788. He first married in 1823, 
a daughter of the fourth Duke of "Richmond, who died in 1833. 
In 1834, he contracted a second marriage with Lady Charlotte, 
third daughter of Earl Ducie. This gallant nobleman first 
entered the Navy in 1802, and distinguished himself in 1803, 
at the capture of a schooner and boats. He commanded the 
gun boats in the Tagus, co-operating with the troops in the lines 
of Torris Yedras, for which he was thanked in public by 
the Duke of Wellington. He commanded the Thunderer, 
84 guns, at the capture of St. Jean d'Acre, for which he was 
made a C.B., and received a gold medal. He was made a Vice- 
Admiral of the Red in 1858, and a Admiral of the Blue in 1862 ; 
was a Lord of the Admiralty from April, 1833, to December, 
1834 ; from July, 1837, to March, 1852; and from 1852, to 
December, 1857. He represented Gloucester in Parliament, 
from December, 1832, to April, 1 833 ; from 1835 to 1837 ; and 
from 1841 to 1857. He was created in 1861 a Knight of the 
Cross : — 

"Her Majesty has been pleased to appoint Vice-Aclmiral the Right Hon. Sir 
Maurice Frederick Fitzhardinge Berkeley, K.C.B., to be ;m Ordinary Member of 
the Military Division of the First Class, or Knights Grand Cross, of the Most 
Honourable" Order of the Bath." {Court Gazette, July, 1861.) 

He has also for many years served the office of a deputy lien- 
tenant of the county. By his first marriage he has two sons 
and • two daughters. The eldest son is the Hon. M.P. for 
Cheltenham, — the second son is the Hon. Charles Paget Fitz- 
hardinge Berkeley, M.P. for Gloucester. The eldest daughter 
married Lord George Gifford. 

' Charles P. Fitzhardinge Berkeley, born in 1830, married Dec. 6, 1856, 
Louisa Elizabeth, only daughter of the late Henry Lindo\r, Esq.; Frederics 
Charlotte F. Berkeley, married April 2, 1845, to Lord Gifford. Fenella Fitz- 
hardinge, married, in 1851, to Major. H. Armytage, of the Guards." (Burke** 
Peerage.) 

The first visit of the newly-created Lord Fitzhardinge to the 
town, after bis accession to the title, was on Nov. 27, 1861, 
upon the occasion of his presiding at a Meeting of the Colonial 



372 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Missionary Society, at the Assembly Rooms. The opportunity 
was taken to present his Lordship with an Address, con- 
gratulating him upon the honour which had been so justly 
conferred upon him. The address was presented at the Queen's 
Hotel, by a deputation comprising representatives of all classes 
and parties, and the particulars of the meeting will be found in 
the chapter on Modern Events. 

The inhabitants of Cheltenham were also anciently connected 
with the elections of members for the county. The journals of 
the House of Commons contain an entry in relation to the 
town at one of these contests, which is probably the oldest on 
record. From the reign of Charles the First down to George 
the Third, in petitions that had been presented, the polling of 
the freeholders of the Borough occurs in connexion with some 
very curious facts. 

In April 1640, the committee of privileges, touching the 
election of Sir Robert Tracey, reported that they found, "many 
misdemeanours in the said election, and were, therefore, of 
opinion that Sir Humphrey Trccey, sheriff of the County of 
Gloucester, should be sent for as a delinquent by the serjeant- 
at-arms" — which order was rescinded on Mr. George's under- 
taking for the appearance of Sir Humphrey. There are other 
entriei in 1662, 1695, and 1702, touching the petitions from 
Sir John Guise, Bart., against the several returns of Sir 
Baynham Throckmorton, Mr. Howard, Mr. Stevens, and Mr. 
Howe. April 9, 1694, the committee and the house determined 
" That Sir Thomas Estcourt, having a majority of votes on the 
poll, was duly elected and returned, although he had declared at 
the election that he desired not to be chosen." In June 1776, 
"the Hon. George Berkeley, and a number of freeholders, 
petitioned against the return of W. B. Chester, Esq., and 
the partiality shown by the High Sheriff of the County," &c. 
Out of this case arose the first material improvement in the 
registration of land-tax assessments. The merits of the 
petition were tried in 1777. It appeared to the committee 
that the owners of many estates paid no land tax, directly. 
Small estates carved out of larger, had been purchased free of 
land tax, the owner of the principal estate paying the tax for 
the whole after the dismemberment, and was rated for it. In 
the course of a few years it often became difficult for the owner 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 373 

of the parcel of land to prove that his land was assessed or 
paid for. The next entry in this case is an amusing example of 
parliamentary infallibility. A difficulty arises by reason of 
divers electors having one and the same name. The committee 
solve it, not by any resolution to proceed with the examination 
of that individual who can speak to the most important matters 
under consideration, or give the best evidence to such facts as 
bear most stringently on the questions referred to them. There 
are three persons of the name of " John Ballinger," of Chelt- 
enham, who had polled in the Cleeve district. Resolved — 
" That as several John Ballingers appear on the poll, the 
evidence shall be confined to the John Ballinger who polled on 
the first day." The ccmmittee, after a three months' sitting, 
declared the sitting member duly elected ; finding, at the same 
time, no cause to impeach the conduct of the High Sheriff. 

It would seem, on reference to all the documents connected 
with the subject, that the inhabitants in ancient as well as in 
modern times, have generally voted on the side of civil and 
religious liberty. At the severely contested election (last 
mentioned) in 1776, the Liberal candidate had a majority of 41 
over the Conservative, at Cheltenham. The poll commenced on 
May 6, 1776, and ended on the 17th following. In order to 
illustrate the number of freeholders then in the borough, we 
extract the names of those who voted from " the Poll Books for 
Booth XL, Cheltenham Hundred," as scrutinized. 

For Hon. Gsorg-e Berkelet, Liberal, 49, viz. : — 

James Arkel, James Averis, John Ballinger, William Benfield, Thomas 
Barnard, Richard Belcher, Daniel Cook, John Creffer, Thomas Carpenter, John 
Cook, Robert Cox, Thomas Clark, John Collins, Richard Cherrington, John 
Cooper (Arle), Thomas Collett, Thomas Clements, John Cox, Thomas Finch, 
Robert Fisher, John Gregory, William Gregory, sen. William Gregory, jun., 
Richard Hooper, Thomas Humphreys, Richard Humphreys, Robert Hancock, 
Richard Hooper, Benjamin Mason, William Neale, Thomas Pope, James Putniss, 
William Wills, T.iomas Wills, Thomas Town send (fee farm rent upon the Manor 
of Cheltenham), John Roberts, John Read (Arle), \ illiam Skillicorne, Edmund 
Smith, l nomas Stone, William Surman, John Sandford, James Sergeant, 
Thomas Thornton, Edward Wood, Samuel Wells, John White, Thomas Yatman, 
John Acock. 

For B. W. Chester, Esq., Conservative, 8. 

Rev. T. W. Bidwell, John Chester, John De la Bere, David Davis, John 
Gregory, Daniel Lloyd, Richard Newman, Edward Timbrell. 

At the general election in 1701, three candidates entered the 



374 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

field for the county — John Howe and Maynard Colchester, 
Esqrs., Conservatives (the sitting members), and Kichard 
P. Cocks, Esq., a Whig. On this occasion, the freeholders 
resident in Cheltenham gave the preference to the Liberal 
candidate by 25 votes to 4, and he was elected by the County 
in lieu of Howe, who had rendered himself unpopular by his 
prosecution of Dissenters. In order to form an idea of the 
state of public excitement at that time, which was the last 
year of the reign of William and Mary, we should consult the 
journals of the day. It is an interesting fact, that the last 
words penned by the great Lord Macaulay, in his fragmentary 
" History of England," published by his sister, in March 1861, 
had reference to this county election, in which the Cheltenham 
freeholders took so conspicuous a part. The departed historian 
thus graphically records the local feeling then prevalent : — 

" There was one district to which the eyes of hundreds of thousands were 
turned with anxious interest — Gloucestershire. Would the patriotic and high- 
spirited gentry and yeomanry of that great county again confide their dearest 
interests to the Impudent Scandal of parliaments, the renegade, the slanderer, 
the mountebank, who had been, during thirteen years, railing at his betters of 
every party with a spite restrained by nothing but the craven fear of corporal 
chastisement, and who had in the last Parliament made himself conspicuous by 
the abject court which he had paid to Lewis, and by the impertinence with 
which he had spoken of William. The Gloucestershire election became a 
national affair. Portmanteaus full of pamphlets and broadsides were sent down 
from London. Every freeholder in the country had several tracts left at his 
door. In every market place, on the market day, papers about the brazen 
forehead, the viperous tongue, and the white liver of Jack Howe, the French 
King's buffoon, flew about like flakes in a snow storm. Clowns from the Cots- 
wold Hills and the forest of Dean, who had votes, but who did not kaow their 
letters, were invited to hear these satires read, and w r ere asked whether they 
were prepared to endure the two great evils which were then considered by the 
common people of England as the inseparable concomitants of despotism, to 
wear wooden shoes, and to live on frogs. The dissenting preachers and the 
clothiers were peculiarly zealous, for Howe was considered as the enemy both 
of conventicles and of factories. Outvoters were brought up to Gloucester in 
extraordinary numbers. In the city of London the traders who frequented 
Blackwell Hall, then the great emporium for woollen goods, canvassed actively 
on the Whiff side." 



THE SPAS. 375 

CHAPTEK XX. 

HAVING devoted a chapter to a detail of the first discovery of 
the far-famed Mineral Waters, the first establishment ot the 
Eo\ al Old Weil, and first planting of the fine avenue ot elm 
trees, we now purpose to notice the various Tuinp .Rooms at 
present used for dispensing these health-res toring waters to the 
public. The various Spas are justly regarded as among the 
" lions " of the place. These institutions have been so judiciously 
laid out in their walks and drives, that each has a marked 
character ot its own, and presents to the spectator peculiarities 
ot* style, ot architecture, and landscape gardening. This variety 
and distinctiveness of the ground plans of the Spas adds to 
their attractiveness, and suits the taste of all who may be 
desirous of partaking of their advantages. In this respect, 
Cheltenham surpasses ail other watering places, for the most 
delicate invalid can, in the midst of a crowded town, repair to 
the Spa, and in the walks enjoy ail the solitude of the country. 
In the formation of the Spas, ail tastes have been met. The 
lioyal Old Well, whose walks are immortalised by the many 
Koyal and noble personages who have visited it, presents, from 
its central situation and ancient avenue of trees, attractions of 
no ordinary nature. The Montpeliier, with its garden, affords 
a like retreat on a smaller scale ; and the unique Gothic Cambray 
Spa is easily accessible from its locality. Tittville Spa, from its 
distance, invites exercise, and its noble Pump Eoom and " Fairy 
Lake " fill the beholder with the most pleasing sensations. 

ROYAL OLD WELL. 
The historical associations connected with the Koyal Old 
Well invest it with peculiar interest, both to the resident and 
visitor. Here it was that those mineral waters, whose fame is 
now known throughout the civilized world, were first accident- 
ally discovered in 17 15-16 : In 1738, the establishment was 
founded, and from that time to the present it has gone on 



376 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

improving. The original Pump Room was but a small cottage : 
it was followed by a mere spacious one ; this gave way to 
another, which the requirements of the age rendered too plain 
and distasteful, until ultimately the piesent classic structure 
was reared, which in dimensions exceeds any similar building in 
the town and county. The Old Well Walk stands without a 
rival. 

" O'er-arched with elms, 
Waving aloft their tow' ring branches proud." 

The picturesque view afforded by the long and uniform row 
of majestic trees must be witnessed to be realized : no language 
can adequately describe the effect produced upon the beholder 
who sees it for the first time. The venerable spire of St. Mary's 
Church forms a terminus to the prospect, rising in perspec- 
tive from the centre of the walk on the north, while on the 
reverse side, the view ends with a mimic representation of 
an old baronial castle, the summit of which is approached by 
a spiral staircase. Amongst the many pleasing devices in the 
walks and grounds, are rock-beds beneath the shade of some 
trees, where various beautiful specimens of the fern tribe 
belonging to the locality have been cultivated. 

AN APOSTROPHE, 

A, VIEW FROM THE TOP OE THE WELL WALK, CHELTENHAM. 

(From Poetical Guide > 1781.) 

Here, walks, beset with branching trees, 

A grateful shade bestow ; 
When Summer's unrelenting breeze 

Enervates all below. 

! let me here with — stray, 

And mark yon shining spire ; 
See Nature ev'ry charm display, 

To wake the Muse's fire ! 

And oft admire, with ravish'd eyes, 

Each lovely smiling view '. 
There, hills that meet the concave skies, 

And lose their tops in blue ; 

Here meads, by Flora's bounty bless*d$ 

Array'd in lively green ; 
And villas deep in woods embrae'd* 

That cheer thf 1 varied scene. 



THB SPAS. 377 

Elysian vttle ! thy bounds I'll trace, 

When Sol first paints the sky ; 
And when he sinks with broaden'd face, 

In haste to close his eye. 

And oft as Morn shall shed her dews, 

Fair Chelt'nham, let thy spring, 
With copious draughts refresh the muse, 

Thy matchless joys to sing. 
Cheltenham, 1781. T. B-n-r-d. 

The first discovery of these celebrated waters is associated 
with the legend of the pigeons. It is said that, in 1715, Mr. 
Mason having purchased a field at the foot of Bays Hill, 
observed that pigeons flocked to the head of a stream which 
flowed through it, to peck calcareous particles there deposited in 
its course. On this account, the pigeon has ever been an 
ornament connected with the Eoyal Old Wells. 

Another incident which attracted attention at the time, was that 
of a horse who was in a diseased condition, having become 
cured from drinking at the springs. These narrations we give 
on the authority of manuscripts quoted at large in a former 
part of this work, and we see nothing in them but what is 
probable. It is a known fact, that at Vichy, in the month of 
April, when the snow melts upon the mountains, and the wind 
passing over the springs in the direction of the Pay de Dome, 
has carried the vapour to a considerable distance, the ruminating 
animals on the left bank of the Allier swim across, and drink 
with avidity at the salutary springs of the establishment. The 
waters are then fit for use. 

The date above cited as the one when the waters first attracted 
attention, is no doubt correct, for Allen, who, in 1699, published 
his " Chalybeate and Purging Waters of England," makes no 
mention of the place. The first account of an analysis is in 
1721, by Drs. Baird and Greville — the former a medical prac- 
titioner at Worcester, and the latter at Gloucester. The first 
published description of the discovery by the pigeons and horse, 
was by Rulty, in his M Methodical Synopsis of Mineral Waters," 
who remarks, — " it is not unlikely to be the true one, several 
efficacious mineral springs having been discovered by diseased 
animals being seen to resort to them and to regain their health." 
The justly celebrated medicinal virtues ot the waters arise solely 
from the geological structure of the soil tnrough which they 



378 filSTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

pass. Along the course of the Lias, medicinal springs abound ; 
tiiere is no other pari ot England where they rise so thickly, or 
of a quality that exerts a more powerful influence on the human 
frame. The mineral waters of Cheltenham, for instance, so 
celebrated for their virtues, are of the number ; and the way in 
which they are elaborated in such vast quantities, seems to be 
simply as follows: — They ail rise in the Lias — a formation 
abounding in sulphate of iron, lime, magnesia, lignite, and 
various bituminous matters ; but they have their origin far 
beneath, in the saliferous marls of the New Eed Sandstone which 
the Lias overlies. In the inferior formation, they are simply 
brine springs ; but brine is a powerful solvent — passing through 
the Lias, it acts upon the sulphur and the iron ; becomes, by 
means of the acid thus set free and incorporated with it, a more 
powerful solvent still ; operates upon the lime, upon the magnesia, 
upon the various lignites and bitumens ; and at length rises to 
the surface, a brine-digested extract of Liasic minerals. The 
several springs yield various analyses, according to the various 
rocks of the upper formation which they pass through — some 
containing more, some less lime, sulphur, iron, magnesia ; but 
in all, the dissolving menstrum is the same. And such, it would 
appear, is the mode in which nature prepares her simples in 
this rich district, and keeps her medicine chest ever full. 

Let us trace the progress of a single pint of the water thus 
elaborated, from where it first alights on the spongy soil in a 
wintery shower, till where it sparkles in the glass in the Pump- 
room at Cheltenham. It falls among the flat hills that sweep 
around the ancient city of Worcester, and straightway buries 
itself, all fresh and soft, in the folds of the Upper New Red 
Sandstone, where they incline gently to the east. It percolates, 
in its downward progress, along one of the unworkable seams 
of rock salt that occur in the superior maris of the formation ; 
and as it pursues, furlong after lurlong,its subterranean journey, 
savours more and more strongly of the company it keeps ; 
becomes in succession hard, brackish, saline, briny ; and then, 
many fathoms below the level at which it had entered, escapes 
from the saliferous stratum, through a transverse fissure, into 
an inferior Liasic bed. And here it trickles, for many hundred 
yards, through a pyritiferous shale, on which its biting salts act 
so powerfully, that it becomes strongly tinctured by the iron 



THE SPAS. 379 

oxide, and acidulated by the sulphur. And now it forces its 
upward way through the minute crevices of a dolomitic lime- 
stone, which its salts and acids serves partially to decompose ; 
so that to its salt, iron, and sulphur, it now adds its lime and 
its magnesia. And now it flows through beds of organic 
remains, animal and vegetable, — now through a stratum of 
belemnites, and now a layer of fish, — now beside a seam of 
lignite, and now along a vein of bitumen. Here it carries with 
it a dilute infusion of what had been once the muscular tissue 
of a crocodile, and here the strainings of the bones of an 
ichthyosaurus. And now it comes gushing to the light in an 
upper Liasic stratum, considerably higher in the geologic scale 
than the saliferous sandstones into which it had at first sunk, 
but considerably lower with reference to the existing levels. 
And now take it and drink it off at once, without pause or 
breathing space : it is not palatable, but never did apothecary 
mix up a more curiously compounded draught ; and it is as 
salutary as it is elaborate, as the statement annexed will fully 
demonstrate. 

Medical Analysis. — By F. A. Abel and Thomas H. Roicney, 
of the Royal College of Chemistry, London. 

Sulphuretted Saline Water. — No. Is 

Temperature of the Water, 57,2° E. ; Tempe:ature of the Air at the time of 
observation, 71,6° F. ; Reaction of Water distinctly Alkaline; Acetate of Lead 
Paper blackened i Taste Saline ; Smell of Sulphuretted Hydrogen ; Specific 
Gravity, 10,064 at 60* F. 

Grams in an | Grains in an 

Imperial Gallon, i Imperial Gallon. 

Sulphate of Soda .... 2,340,562 Carbonate of Iron - - - 05,999 
Chloride of Sodium - - - 2,297,876 Phosphate of Lime - - - Traces, 



Phosphate of Iron - - - 01,834 

Silicic Acid ..... 10,109 

Organic ( Crenic Acid - - 168,-45 

Matter \ Extractive Matter 00,231 



Chloride of Magnesium - - 526,19/ 

Chloride of Calcium - - - 92,575 

Bromide of Calcium - - - 20,272 

Iodide of Calcium - - - Traces. 

Carbonate of Magnesia - - 19,71 9 

Carbonate of Lime - - - 220,808 5,704,447 

Amount of Residue obtained by direct experiment, 5,722,451. — Free Carbonic 
Acid m the Water at 57,2° E. ; 32,705 Cubic Inches in an Imperial Gallon.— 
Sulphuretted Hydrogen not present in estimable quantities. 

Strong Saline Water.— No. 4. 

Temperature of the Water, 57,2° F. ; Temperature of the Air at the time of 
Observation, 7 1 , 6 Q F. ; Reaction of the Water slightly Alkaline; Taste Saline 3 
Smell, slight of Sulphuretted Hydrogen ; Specific Gravity, 1,00795, at 60° F. 



380 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 





Grains in an 


I 


tnperial Gallon. 


Sulphate of Potassa - 


- - Traces. 


Sulphate of Soda - - 


- - 949,410 


Chloride of Sodium - 


- - 5,903,310 


Chloride of Magnesium 


- - 80,003 


Bromide of Magnesium 


- - 30,632 


Iodide of Magnesium 


- - 04,361 


Carbonate of Magnesia 


- - 68,026 



Carbonate of Lime - 
Phosphate of Lime - 

Silicic Acid 

Organic") Crenic Acid - - 
Matter' ) Extractive Matter 



Grains in an 
Imperial Gallon. 



170,611 
Traces, 
27,468 
03,332 

180,530 

7,417,68 3 

Amount of Solid Matter found by direct experiment, 7,417,774. — Pree Carbonic 
Acid in the Water at 57,2° P., 25,294 Cubic Inches in an Imperial Gallon.— 
Sulphuretted Hydrogen — a trace. 

The Old Well grounds and gardens were, until set apart for 
building purposes, seven acres in extent ; and the principal 
walk, with its ancient avenue of elms, is nearly a quarter of a 
mile in length. Independent of the scientific analysis of this 
establishment, S. Moreau, Esq., the first Master of the Cere- 
monies, who received King George III., when on his visit to 
Cheltenham, has thus recorded his opinion of the waters of the 
Eoyal Old Well : — " All that I have now to add on this subject 
is, that notwithstanding the great virtue of this water, it would 
be the highest presumption to advance that it is infallible in its 
operation and effect, yet so indubitable are its powers, that 
during the sixteen years I have attended this place, I have seen 
above 14,000 persons resort to it for different complaints. I 
have known but very few who did not reap benefit from the use 
of it, and they who have steadiness to persevere, will, I have no 
doubt, be persuaded of the truth of what I am now asserting." 
The visitors to this Spa have also the sweet strains of music to 
aid them in acquiring a cheerful spirit, which is known to be so 
desirable for the invalid. Musical Promenades are held during 
the water-drinking season. 

Intimately connected with the history of this establishment, 
is the career of Hannah Forty. She was for upwards of forty 
years pumper, and waited upon George the Third during his 
visit, who had her portrait taken before he left the town. She 
was so popular, that at her decease a subscription was set on 
foot by the visitors to the Spa, and a marble monument erected 
near the pulpit in the parish church, on which occurs the 
inscription quoted below. " For many years, this well was 
known as 'Mrs. Forty's well,' the venerable old lady having 
personally officiated at the salutary fountain, and such celebrity 



THE SPAS. 381 

had she acquired by her courteous demeanour, that her name 
was familiar in every quarter of the globe." (JFeller). 

" In a grave, beneath the yew-tree in this churchyard, are 
deposited the remains of Hannah Forty, (wife of William Forty, 
of this town, gardener), who died on the 9th August, 1816. 
Her maiden name was Knight. She was appointed Pumper at 
the Old Wells, in this town, on the 12th, Sept., 1772, and 
continued in that situation until the 1st July, 1816, discharging 
for nearly 43 years the duties of her office, with credit to herself 
and with satisfaction to the many visitors who, during that long 
period, resorted to the original springs, a few of them to whom, 
for several seasons, she had dispensed the blessings of health, 
have felt a satisfaction in erecting this memorial to her long and 
meritorious services." 

THE CENTENARY FETE. 

On the 8th of August, 1838, one of the most magnificent 
provincial fetes on record, in commemoration of the Centenary 
of the Eoyal Old Wells, took place at this establishment. A 
number of residents were chosen at a public meeting, and con- 
stituted " The Centenary Committee," to whom were entrusted 
the arrangements, and ample funds were subscribed and placed 
at their disposal. In the morning a public breakfast was held. 
In the afternoon an oak was planted in the centre of the orchard, 
and named " The Royal Victoria Oak." In the evening the 
fete commenced. When the shades of night had thickened, 
the whole scene was enchanting; the avenue of trees was 
illuminated with thousands of lights, forming innumerable 
arcnes of gold and green, in the manner of a cathedral nave, 
the sweet strains of music poured forth; the commingling of 
all ages, of rank, fashion, beauty and fortune, in dense masses, 
revived the remembrance of Grecian festivals, in which the 
refinements of life alone were to be seen, and where the cares 
and distinctions of the world were for a while forgotten. The 
entertainments were varied, and concluded with a clever pyro- 
technical representation of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. After 
this memorable fete, a number of gentlemen were appointed as a 
deputation from the town to present to her Majesty the Queen, 
a gold medal, commemorative of the event. The medal, as a 
work of art, was an exquisite specimen of working in gold. On 



382 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the obverse side of the medal there was a representation of the 
Eoyal Old Well Walk, and on the reverse side was the following 
inscription : — " To commemorate the Centenary of the Eoyal 
Old Wells, Cheltenham, established August, 1738." The 
deputation were presented to her Majesty at her levee, held at 
St. James's Palace, April 17, 1839, by Earl Eitzhardinge, and 
most graciously received. After the presentation of a suitable 
address, and of the medal, each member of the deputation had 
the honour of kissing her Majesty's hand. On the return of the 
ieputation, they were met at Andoversford by the Centenary 
Committee, and escorted to the Plough Hotel, where a dinner 
was given to them. 

THE ROYAL WELL MUSIC HALL. 

The Eoyal Old Wells was altered by the present proprietor, 
Mr. S. Onley, jun., in 1848, when all the old buildings, including 
the Pump-room, were taken down, and the noble classic structure 
which now ornaments the grounds reared in its stead, the pro- 
prietor being his own architect. The new Pump-room has been 
called "The Eoyal Wells Music Hall," for, besides affording 
accommodation to the Spa visitors, it has been used as a Con- 
cert-room, and many crowded and fashionable auditories have 
assembled within it. The first artistes in Europe, both vocal 
and instrumental, who have performed in the Hall, have publicly 
by testimonial given a favourable opinion of the acoustic qualities 
of the building, and of its adaptation for music meetings. The 
Music-hall is of the Corinthian order of architecture. The 
exterior was ornamented with a portico 40 feet high, supported 
by four columns. On either side of the entrance are two 
immense windows of plate glass, the largest of their kind in the 
locality, The interior presents architectural and artistic details 
of a high character. Eight chastely executed fluted Corinthian 
columns, 35 feet high, support the classic roof. The dimensions 
of this magnificent room are 82 feet by 55 feet, and on public 
occasions the conservatory, which opens en suite on the right, is 
used, which is 35 feet by 18 feet wide, and also a raised stage 
at the opposite end, 40 feet by 24 feet. A painting in the room 
deserves particular notice; it is on the stage, and forms a drop 
scene, which was painted by C. Marshall, Esq., of her Majesty's 
Theatre, and stands unrivalled as a specimen of the scenic art. 



THE SPAS. 383 

It represents the Lake of Como, with its classic ruins and ever 
verdant environs. At the opposite end of the room, where the 
waters are dispensed, is a conservatory. 

MONTPELLIEK SPA. 

In 1801, the site of the Montpellier estate, which was 
originally farm land, was purchased by H. Thompson, Esq. 
The presence of mineral waters in the soil led to the establish- 
ment of a Spa and Salts Manufactory. The present Vittoria 
House, the residence of the late C. Shaw, Esq., was erected by 
Mr. Thompson for the purposes of a Spa, and the waters were 
conveyed there by means of pipes, " But finding the visitors 
preferred drinking them nearer to their source, he was induced 
to erect a room immediately over the wells." The Montpellier 
Pump Room was opened for the reception of company in 1809, 
but not being large enough for the increased number of visitors, 
the present Pump-room was erected, and, in 1826, Pearson 
Thompson, Esq., the son of the first proprietor, added the. 
Rotunda, whose classic dome is so conspicuous an object. The 
exterior of the building is ornamented by a light and spacious 
portico, presenting a row of twelve pillars, ranged in due pro- 
portion to the size of the windows, of which there are eight in 
front, with the principal entrance door in the centre. The dome, 
even externally, gives the edifice a majestic finish. The original 
room, which is long, abuts the entrances, and is a spacious 
apartment, ornamented with wall devices representing Eastern 
scenery. The Rotunda communicates with this room by large 
folding doors. This is, in fact, the Pump Room. It is 52 feet in 
diameter ; its dome rises to the height of 54 feet. The dome 
is supported by sixteen pilasters, ornamented with Grecian 
capitals, the concave finished with sunk pannels, supporting on 
the top a lantern, composed of sixteen glazed compartments, 
the curb of which is ornamented with patera s, and the covering 
with a flower six feet in diameter. In front of the entrance is 
the pump, standing on a handsome marble counter, and sur-, 
mounted by a beautiful model of the celebrated Warwick vase. 
This neat and classic structure was designed by J. B. Papworth, 
Esq. The far famed ' c Swedish Nightingale," Jenny Lind, gave 
a concert in this Rotunda during her visit to Cheltenham, in 
1848. In front of the Spa is a spacious garden, tastefully laid 



384 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



out with walks and plantations. This has been designated the 
Montpellier Garden, and forms a promenade for the use of 
those who frequent the Spa. The Montpellier Gardens were 
opened by a public fete, on July 28, 1830. The Montpellier 
Spa, Gardens, and Estate, in 1852, passed under the manage- 
ment of Mr. C. E. Wickes, for many years the lessee of Pittville. 



ANALYSIS OF THE WATERS OE MONTPELLIER SPA. 

No. 2. — Ioduretted and Sulphuretted Saline. 

Gaseous contents in a pint : cub. in. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen 1.6 

Carbonic Acid .4 

Saline Contents ; Grains. 

Muriate of Soda 35.3 

Sulphate of Soda 28.4 

> of Magnesia 7-2 

■ of Lime 3.1 

Oxide of Iron .42 

Hydriodate of Soda .15 

Specific Gravity, 1.008. 

74.57 

No. 4. — Pure Saline. 

Gaseous contents in a pint : cub. in. 

Carbonic Acid 1.4 

Saline contents: Grains. 

Muriate of Soda 52.4 

Sulphate of Magnesia 14.2 

of Soda 17.2 

Bi-Carbonate of Soda 1.2 

Sulphate of Lime 2.7 

Carbonate of Lime and Carbonate of Magnesia . 1.1 

Hydriodate of Soda & Hydrobromate of Soda — a trace 

Specific Gravity, 1,009 88.8 

No. 4, " A."— Strong Ioduretted Saline. 
Gaseous Contents in a Pint : 

Carbonic Acid 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen — a trace 
Saline Contents : 
Muriate of Soda 
of Lime 



of Magnesia 

Sulphate of Soda . 

■ — of Magnesia 

— — of Lime 

Bi-Carbonate of Soda 

Carbonate of Lime and Carbonate of Magnesia 

Hydriodate of Soda 

Specific Gravity, 1.0101 



cub. in. 
L6 

Grains. 

51.4 
8.3 
7.5 

14.0 

17.1 
2.1 
2.4 
3.2 
.25 

106.25 



THE SPAS. 385 

No. 5. — Ioduretted Mngnesian Saline. 

Gaseous Contents in a Pint : cub. in. 

Carbonic Acid ....:.. 1.2 

Saline Contents : Grains. 

Sulphate of Magnesia 47.0 

— — of Lime 3.1 

Muriate of Magnesia 10.5 

of Lime 13.1 

of Soda 9.7 

Bi-Carbonate of Soda ...... 1.7 

Oxide of Iron A 

Hydriodate of Soda, with a small quantity of Hydro- 

broraate of Soda .35 

Specific Gravity, 1,009 

85.85 



NAPOLEON S FOUNTAIN. 

The Montpellier Garden lias for some years past been the 
depository of a work of art, interesting from its historical 
associations. This is a marble fountain of graceful form and 
beautiful workmanship. Its locality is the upper end of the 
gardens, in the centre of a verdant and evergreen lawn, and 
when in full play it produces an effect upon the beholder 
pleasing in the extreme. The design of the fountain is 
a child, whose features express the period of infancy, fondly 
clasping the neck of a swan, from whose mouth the water 
issues, as also from a circle of cherub heads below. This gem 
of art is a specimen of the artistic taste of Napoleon Bonaparte, 
having been designed by the great warrior in his palmy days, 
when all Europe trembled at his power. This, and several 
other works, were entrusted to an artist of note in Italy for 
execution. During the memorable French wars, they were on 
their way to the Emperor at Paris, when they were captured by 
a privateer belonging to the port of Bristol. The fountain, 
which has long been located in these gardens, was allotted to 
one of the sailors in the general division of the spoil, and of 
him was purchased by the late T. Henney, Esq., J.P., and Mr. 
Harward, who have permitted it to occupy its present position. 
The original idea of the designer has been marred by the sub- 
stitution of the beaked head of an eagle for that of a swan— - 
the latter having been broken off by accident. At the period 
the Sherborne Spa occupied the site of the Queen's Hotel, this 
relic of Napoleon was placed in a classic building which termi- 



386 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

nated the broad walk on the east. We trust that some future 
historian will have to record its removal to some public and 
conspicuous part of the town. We present an illustration of 
this beautiful work of an artist of Genoa, taken for the late T. 
Henney, Esq., when in its pristine state. From letters which 
were found in the vessel at the time of its capture, it would 
appear that Napoleon was the sole designer. 

The Montpellier Gardens are also celebrated as being the place 
where the Pavilion was erected which was used at the Eglin- 
ton Tournament. The name of the Earl of Eglinton will always 
be associated with the gorgeous pageant he held in August, 
1839, at his castle in Ayrshire, at which the present Emperor of 
France was one of the knights, and at which the Duchess of 
Somerset, then Lady Seymour, had the distinction to take the 
part of the " Queen of Beauty.' ' The Pavilion was purchased 
by the proprietor of these gardens, and when in its pristine 
state was a most attractive object. These gardens are upwards 
of eight acres in extent, and in 1861 they were purchased by a 
joint stock company, consisting of noblemen and gentlemen in- 
terested in the welfare of the town. The objects for which this 
company is established are, amongst others, " To lay out and 
maintain the Montpellier Gardens as a place for public amuse- 
ment, recreation, and resort. To erect thereon a hall for 
musical and other purposes, and for public assemblies and 
entertainments, with convenient ante -rooms, mnseum, hot- 
houses, conservatories, tennis and racket courts, Turkish and 
other baths, and other necessary or convenient offices and 
buildings. 55 

The Montpellier Promenade, which leads to the Rotunda, is 
remarkable from the novel style of architecture displayed in the 
fronts of the houses. This arises from the use of stone statues 
instead of pillars, which produce a striking effect. These re- 
present female figures clothed in long garments, and called by 
the Greeks, Caryatides. The figures, which extend the whole 
length of the Promenade, are well-executed and rest upon 
pedestals. The origin of the introduction of these elegant 
figures into architecture is thus explained by Yitruvius : — "The 
inhabitants of Carya, a city of Peloponesus, having joined 
with the Persians against the Grecian States, and the Greeks 
having terminated the war with glorious victory, with one con- 



THE SPAS. 387 

sent commenced hostilities against the Caryatides. They took 
the city, destroyed it, put all the males to the sword, and 
carried the females into captivity, and to treat them with still 
greater ignominy, forbade them to divest themselves of their 
robes, or of any of their ornaments, so that they might not only 
be once led in triumph, but, in a manner, suffer the same mor- 
tification all their lives, by constantly appearing in the same 
dress as on the triumphal day. And further, as an everlasting 
testimony of the crime of the people of Carya, the architects 
of that time employed the representation of these women to 
support the entablature of the public buildings. One of 
the porticos of the Erechtheum, at Athens, is supported by 
Caryatides of the same size as those which now ornament our 
town. 

PaTTYILLE SPA. 

This Spa has been pronounced the most beautiful and extensive 
establishment of its kind in Europe. Its first construction and 
the laying out of its drives, six miles in extent, cost half a 
million sterling. In 1824. the many walks and drives which 
now constitute the Pittville estate were first laid out by Joseph 
Pitt, Esq., M.P. Pittville Pump-Eoom was designed by a 
resident architect, Mr. J. Forbes. The foundation stone was 
laid with full Masonic honours, on May 4, 1825, and the cere- 
mony was witnessed by an immense concourse of spectators ; the 
Masonic procession on the occasion was an imposing spectacle. 
Divine service was celebrated in the Parish Church by the Eev. 
J. Edwards, vicar of Prestbury ; the sermon was preached by 
the Rev. J. Portis, the Masonic Grand Chaplain of Somerset. 
At the conclusion of Divine Service, the procession proceeded 
from the church, passing up the High-street, through Winch- 
comb-strect, to Pittville, where every accommodation had been 
made for the reception of visitors to view the ceremony, by the 
erection of two extensive elevations, commanding excellent 
views of the imposing scene. The ceremony was com- 
menced by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master expressing to 
Mr. Forbes, the architect, his high approbation of the design 
and ground plan, which was then exhibited to the spectators 
and received with universal acclamation. Several coins were 



388 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

placed in the cavity, which was covered by a silver plate bearing 
the following inscription : — 

" In the Reign of His Most Gracious Majesty King George the Fourth, when 
Cheltenham, in consequence ot its celebrated Mineral Waters had, during half a 
century preceding, increased from an inconsiderable village to a town containing 
a population of upwards of 20,000 souls ; and from its continued prosperity 
justified the most sanguine expectations, that its importance would still advance 
in an unprecedented degree, the First Stone of this Edifice, the PITTVILLE 
PUMP-ROOM, the Property of Joseph Pitt, Esq., M.P., and a principal feature 
in the projected Buildings at Pittville, over one hundred acres of Land, a part of 
the Estate there belonging to that gentleman, was laid by Thomas Quarrington, 
Esq., Deputy-Grand Master of the Province of Gloucestershire, acting by dele- 
gation from the Most Noble Henry Charles Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, K.G., 
Grand Master of the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Ac- 
cepted Masons, in and over that Province, on the 4th day of May, in the year of 
our Lord, 1825, and the iEra of Masonry, 5825 ; Mr. John Forbes, of Chelten- 
ham, being the Architect. — May the undertaking promote the general prosperity 
of the Town of Cheltenham." 

The stone was then slowly lowered, amidst the most enthu- 
siastic cheers, the band playing " God save the King." 

The building occupied five years in its erection. It was 
completed in 1830, and opened July 20, by a public breakfast, 
attended by the leading families of the county. Pittville Spa is 
in style purely Grecian, varied and embellished only according 
to the taste and genius of the architect. The Ionic order has 
been selected for decoration ; arid the subject chosen for imita- 
tion is the Temple of Ilyssus, at Athens. The body of the 
building, which is 90 feet in length and 43 in breadth, is 
surrounded by a colonnade of 20 feet wide, the roof supported 
by fluted columns of 22 feet in length, and with capitals richly 
ornamented. In the middle of this roof, and over the principal 
entrance, a figure of Hygeia is placed ; and the two wings, 
ornamented with those of iEseulapius and Hippocrates respec- 
tively, produce a fine effect. The main building bears an 
elegant superstructure, of corresponding character and orna- 
ment, consisting of a room at each end, presenting externally 
three windows each, the intermediate space being faced with 
ornaments and pilasters. In the centre of the building is an 
elegant dome, raised to the height of 70 feet, around which 
and enclosed by neat iron-work, is a gallery, from which is 
presented to the eye a panoramic view of the surrounding vale, 
bounded by the Malvern and Cotswold hills, and extending on 



THE SPAS. 389 

the south-west to the mountains of Wales, as represented in our 
engraving. The staircase, leading to the upper room, and also 
to the gallery, ascends from a vestibule at the back of the 
building, the entrance to which is from the north-west end of 
the colonnade. The style and arrangement of this magnificent 
design differs from the exterior only as it surpasses it in variety 
of embellishment and richness of decoration, so as at least to equal 
any expectation which a survey of its bold and splendid exterior 
may inspire. On each side of the principal entrance are two 
columns and pilasters, separated by large windows of 11 feet in 
height, to correspond with four others on the opposite side of 
the room, whose intercolumniations are open ; behind these are 
three windows, in front of which the pump is placed, decorated 
by a marble tripod, after a model from Eocchigiani's " Monu- 
menti Artichi." The whole produces a very striking effect, when 
seen from the promenades, on approaching the principal en- 
trance. At each end of the building there is an entrance with 
columns and pilasters, detached in a manner similar to those iri 
the principal front. The walls within are ornamented with 
columns and pilasters, relieved by niches and recesses, breaking 
in pleasing outlines. The ceiling at each end of the room is 
arched with a llat sweep, and ornamented with bands and double 
sunk panels, enriched with foliage, the centre of the building 
being a square space opening to the dome. This space is 
lighted from behind and in front by windows beneath the dome, 
the interior of which springs with enriched sunk spandrills and 
segmental soffites, and finishes with tapering panels and appro- 
priate decorations, the top of the dome being completed by a 
sky-light. 

The Anniversary of the Centenary Fete was celebrated at this 
Spa on August 12, 1840, on a scale of magnificence that will 
be long remembered. The most remarkable feature in the Eete 
was the erection of the Temple of Hygeia, which floated on the 
beautiful lake, and displayed the skill of the artist to advantage. 
It was covered with thousands of variegated lamps, and was 
divided into three compartments. In the first, under the figures 
ad. 1733, w r as a transparency representing Cheltenham as it 
was in that year. There were the rivulet and the stepping- 
stones, which then formed the only contrivance by which to 
cross from one side of the High-street to the other, and a 



390 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

picture of the celebrated Plough Hotel, copied from an original 
painting. In the compartment on the other side, under the 
figures a.d. 1840, was a representation of the High-street of 
that day. 

Pittville Spa, from its first opening, has maintained an almost 
national celebrity. This is evident from the large amount which 
in past years has been received for admission from visitors only, 
independent of the subscriptions from residents. 

The following account of a visit to Pittville Spa, is extracted 
from a work entitled " Letters on Cheltenham :" — "We passed 
to the grounds, picturesquely planted, embracing no less than 
120 acres of land, laid out in walks and drives, which at every 
turn presented some new object of interest or attraction. What 
a perfect scene of faerie-land broke upon our view as we stood 
upon the margin of the Pittville Lake, formed by the waters of 
the Swilgate, which, as its name implies, flows like molten silver 
hence to Tewkesbury. On either side of us, forming a classical 
termination to the lake, was an elegant stone bridge of fanciful 
architecture, over which these gardens are approached from the 
town. Looking along the centre avenue, the colossal pile, with 
its multitude of columns, broken into every variety of light and 
shade by the reflection of the passing clouds, or standing out in 
the brilliancy of sunlight, as they cleared away, gave dignity to 
the scene ; whilst the luxuriant plantations, glittering like gold 
at one instant, or sinking into deep shade at the next, from the 
same cause, were formed into every variety of picture by the 
continual change of colour, as the gay groups of sylph-like 
forms flitted across in all the tints that taste and fashion can 
devise. Few, very few, towns can boast of such attractive 
gardens, already taking rank with some of the finest in the 
kingdom. Altogether, it has been told me, that little less than 
half a million of money has been expended upon this Pittville 
property." 

At the Pittville Spa, " Sulphuretted Hydrogen," says Dr. 
Gibney, " is found in considerable quantity, and if care is taken 
to prevent its escape, we shall then have a water similar to that 
of Harrowgate. As the purgative operations of the Pittville 
Spas are precisely similar to those of the other wells, its great 
supply of sulphuretted hydrogen will render it very efficacious 



THE SPAS. 391 

in diseases of the skin and other disorders, for which Harrow- 
gate has been recommended." 

Attached to the establishment is the Cosmorama, which con- 
tains views of Rome, Amiens, Bielstein, Antwerp, Mount St. 
Bernard, and other places. 

The annexed sketch represents Essex Lodge, so named in 
memory of the Earl of Essex, who was formerly Lay Rector of 
Cheltenham, and consequently owner of the glebe land on 
which the Pittville estate is built. It is used as a Spa for the 
convenience of those who cannot extend their walks to the pump- 
room, and was in operation during the period the beautiful 
edifice beyond was in course of erection. It is romantically 
situate at one of the angles which leads to the main drive to the 
lake and to the upper pleasure grounds. 

Analysis of the waters at Pittville Spa, by F. A. Abel, and T. H. Rowney, of 
the Royal College of Chemistry : — Depth of the Main Well about 90 feet ; tem- 
perature of the water, 57° F. ; temperature of the air at the time of observation 
67° F. Reaction with Litmus Alkaline. Taste of the water, agreeably saline 
smell, slight of Sulphurated Hydrogen. Specific gravity, 1,00763, at 60° F. 

Grains in Imp. 
Gallon. 
Sulphate of Potassa 2,9512 



Sulphate of Soda 
Chloride of Sodium 
Bromide of Sodium 
Iodide of Sodium 
Carbonate of Soda 
Carbonate of Lime 
Carbonate of Magnesia 
Phosphate of Lime 
Silicid Acid 

Organic CCrenic Acid . 

Matter (Extractive 



112,8666 

481,1933 

3,2928 

traces. 

20,1481 

7,7021 

11,3897 

traces. 

2,7755 

0,3591 

3,5993 



646,1777 
Amount of fixed residue found by direct experiment 645,6053 

Free Carbonic Acid in the water at 50° F. 16,254 cubic inches in imperial 
gallon. Sulphuretted Hydrogen present in inestimable qualities 



CAMBRAY SPA. 

Cambray Spa is justly celebrated for its chalybeate waters, 
possessing peculiar and distinct medicinal properties, as may be 
seen on reference to the official analysis by the eminent chemists^ 



392 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 



Faraday and Accum. It is an exquisite specimen, on a small 
scale, of the ornamental Gothic style, and its octagon form, and 
situation on the south side of Eodney-terrace, at the junction of 
various main roads, serves as an ornament to the locality. It was 
erected by the proprietor, Baynham Jones, Esq., who also owned 
the orignal Chalybeate Spa. This was situate but a short distance 
from the present pump-room, where the waters were for many 
years dispensed. The Cambray Chalybeate Springs were first 
discovered in 1804. Ruff, in his " Beauties of Cheltenham," 
speaking of the Cambray Spa Waters, says-— " We cannot give 
a stronger proof of their efficacy, than by noticing the rapid 
restoration of Sir Francis Burdett, Bart., who came to Chelten- 
ham in May, 1805, very seriously ill, and deprived of the use of 
his limbs. The worthy baronet was restored in a few days to a 
state ©f convalescence ; and by persevering in drinking the 
waters, and bathing the parts affected, left Cheltenham in the 
month of September, in perfect health. 55 

Analysis of the Cambray Spa, (the Aperient Saline,) by Michael Faraday, Esq., 
E.ll.S., &c, in a wine imperial piat. Specific gravity, 1006.7. — Salts in a dry 
state. 

Grains. 

Muriate of Soda 51.06 

Muriate of Lime . 8.60 

Muriate of Magnesia a trace. 

Sulphate of Soda . 17.04* 

Carbonate of Lime 0.80 

Carbonate of Iron a mere trace. 



77.50 



Carbonated Chalybeate, by Frederick Accum, Esq., F.L.S., &c, in a wine gal- 
on. Specific gravity, 1.0011. 

Grains. 
Carbonate of Iron 7.05 



Muriates of Lime and Magnesia 
Muriate and Sulphate of Soda . 
Sulphate of Lime 
Carbonate of Magnesia and Lime 



15.50 

24.00 

9.00 



Carbonic Acid Gas 24 Cubic Inches. 



64.50 



THE PARK SPA. 



A spring producing an abundant supply of pure Saline water 
having been found to exist on the Park estate, at a depth of 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 



393 



about 50 feet, possessing all the properties of the old well- 
known No. 4 of the established Spas, Mr. Billings, the proprie- 
tor, has tested its efficacy by obtaining from Messrs. Heathfield 
and Burgess, of London, the subjoined analysis : it proves the 
water to be equal in strength to any yet found in Cheltenham. 

A small classic pump-room has recently been erected over 
the well sunk by Samuel Bendall, the forty years' experienced 
well-sinker and pumper of the Montpellier Spa, and under the 
recommendation of eminent members of the faculty, the waters 
have for some time been administered to the public in their 
purity and proved to be extremely efficacious. 

Analysis of the Park Spa Waters, by Messrs. Heathfield and Burgess. 









Imp. Gallon 


Grains. 


Sulphate of Soda 77.00 


Sulphate of Lime 






86 00 


Sulphate of Magnesia 






66.00 


Chloride of Sodium . 






602.00 


^Carbonate of Lime 






20.00 


Carbouate of Magnesia 






8.00 


*Oxide of Iron 






.30 


Carbonate of Soda 






a trace. 


Organic matter, waste, &c. 






. . .70 



860.00 
* These Substances are held in solution bv free Carbonic Acid. 



CHAPTER XXL 



Sf)e EnBofacb efjariucs. 



ENGLAND, as a country, is justly celebrated both for the 
number and extent of its publicly-endowed charities. This 
spirit of national benevolence has been imbibed by some of the 
more ancient residents of wealth and influence in this locality. 
HenceCheltenham can claim a place in the list of publicly-endowed 
towns, and can boast of benefactors distinguished in their day 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

both for their piety, learning, and exalted rank. In conse- 
quence of the increase in value of landed property in the locality, 
bequests, the income of which is derivable from land or houses, 
have enhanced greatly in value. The bequests from which the 
inhabitants are now deriving advantage, were left in the reigns of 
Queen Elizabeth, Charles I. and II., Queen Anne, George I. 
and III. We have the satisfaction of recording in this work, 
the whole of these public charities, and trust that it may be the 
means, in some cases, of perpetuating their existence. Accord- 
ing to priority of date, each bequest is here presented to the 
reader in consecutive order. The name of the founder, the 
object of the charity, the nature of the endowment, and the 
present annual income, will be found fully detailed. Annexed to 
the description of each charity are verbatim extracts from the 
donor's will, terriers of estates, and other authentic documents, 



The town of Cheltenham has an endowed Grammar School, 
founded in 1578 by Richard Pates, Esq., in the reign of Queen 
Elizabeth. The property left to support the charity in the life- 
time of the founder, realized but £10 a year. It is now worth 
£1,000 and upwards annually, and being landed property let 
out on lease, at the expiration of the term, it reverts to the 
charity, and is consequently re-let at the current value, which 
gradually increases the income. The Charity Estate comprises 
some of the most valuable portions of the town, besides houses 
in Gloucester, land at Swindon, and a farm at the Leigh. Erom 
a survey of the estate made in 1849, on the part of the parish, 
by Messrs. I). J. Humphris, and E. E. Newman, surveyors, it 
appears from their report that the "annual income, at the 
expiration of the present leases will be £2,933 5s., and the 
estimated value in fee, £38,093." Three-fourths of the annual 
income go to the support of the Grammar School and Alms-house, 
and the residue for the establishment of a Divinity Lecture at 
Corpus Christi College, Oxford; the President of that College 
and the seven senior scholars are the trustees of the charity. 
Mr. Pates commenced the Grammar School in his life-time, and 
lived to watch its progress for seventeen years. By this means 
he was enabled to draw up an account of its future expenditures, 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 395 

and found his grant thereon. According to an entry on the 
Rolls at the Manor Office, the foundation -stone of the school- 
room was laid on April 28, 1571. In 1585, the indenture was 
executed, and in 1587, possession of the property was given up 
to the trustees. For a long period after the fir^t establishment, 
from the favourable notices which occur respecting the masters, 
it is evident that the school was a useful institution. But, like 
similar charities, in more recent times it fell into decay. From 
the Chancery Reports, it appears that, for many years, the num- 
ber of scholars on the foundation was scarcely more than twenty. 
By the cordial co-operation of the present trustees, with the 
committee who represent the parish, this school has now become 
an honour to the town. Like Birmingham, Shrewsbury, and 
other places where Grammar Schools are ably conducted, Chel- 
tenham has now begun to reap benefit, and the increased and 
increasing income of the charity will afford ample opportunity 
for establishing the Grammar School on a basis equal to any 
provincial one in England. A scheme having been approved by 
the Court of Chancery, and the premises adjoining the original 
school-room obtained, the trustees proceeded to the election of 
a head-master. The choice rested upon E. R. Humphreys, Esq., 
M.A., LL.D., and H. M. Jeffrey, Esq., M.A., of St. Catherine's 
Hall, Cambridge, as second-master on the foundation. The 
school was publicly re-opened on May 1, 1852, on which occa- 
sion addresses were delivered by Dr. Norris, President of Corpus 
Christi College, the principal trustee, Rev. F. Close, Dr. Hum- 
phreys, and R. S. Lingwood, Esq. Nearly two hundred scholars 
were on the foundation the first half-year after the re-opening, 
and applications for further admission were made, which could 
not be met for want of school-room. To meet the exigency, an 
additional school-room was erected at the rear of the premises, 
sufficient to accommodate one hundred and fifty additional 
scholars. Premises adjoining, known as " Yearsley's Boarding- 
house," were also purchased, which, while it extends the accom- 
modation for scholars, also affords a residence for the head- 
master. 

The Rev. H. Hay man was the next appointed head-master. 
He was one of the preachers in the Temple, and Head-Master 
of St. Olave's School, London. Since his settlement the scholars 
have attained classical and academic distinctions to a degree that 



396 HI3T011Y OF CHELTENHAM. 

reflects credit to the town at large. A majority of the success- 
ful candidates belonged to this school at the Middle- Class 
Examinations in 1860. About the same time three candidates 
that were sent to Oxford for the examination of those not 
members of the university, obtained the title of A.A., two of 
them winning honours. The reports at the annual gathering, 
according to ancient custom, in 1862, shows a most remarkable 
amount of proficiency, and perhaps no school, considering the 
short time that it has been renovated, can boast of so many 
honours having been obtained by its scholars. These facts 
demonstrate that the benevolent bequest of Mr. Pates will once 
again contribute to the present and future prosperity of this 
highly favoured educational town. This old academy can boast 
of having had masters in the early period of its history, who 
were alike eminent for their learning and benevolence. Christo- 
pher Bayley, M.A., who died in 1654, was master for thirty-two 
years, and bequeathed a sum of money for erecting a Market- 
place, which stood opposite the present Plough Hotel. Another 
eminent master was William Eogers, M.A., of the ancient 
family of that name at Dowdesvvell. Por thirteen years this 
excellent man filled his office until his decease, in 1701, and 
received the thanks of the trustees for his services. He is de- 
scribed on the Manor Bolls as " a good man and excellent 
scholar." Both these disinterested persons are interred in the 
Parish Church, where monuments exist to their memory. 

The value of this academy to the locality is greatly enhanced by 
scholarships and exhibitions connected with it, as follows: — 
Townsend Fellowship, tenable for four years, to Pembroke College, 
Oxford, £50 annually : Classical Scholarship of £20 annually, 
for two years : Berkeley Scholarship, founded by Earl Pitz- 
hardinge, £10 annually : Bedford Scholarship, founded by Earl 
Bussell, £10 annually, for two years : Civil Service Scholarship 
of £10 annually, and Commercial Scholarship of £10 annually. 
" Mr.W.H.Corfield,a pupil at the Cheltenham Grammar School, 
has just been elected to a open demy ship in natural philosophy, 
of about £70 per annum, at Magdalene College, a scholarship 
examination being also included. This may be regarded as one 
of the first fruits of the department of physical science, in this 
school, as re -organized under the present Head-Master, the Be v. 
H. Hayman. The success is peculiarly gratifying, inasmuch as 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. o97 

Mr. Corfield is a full year younger than the usual age of com- 
petition, and the examination extended over a period of five 
days." — {Cheltenham Examiner, March 13, 1S61.) 

The value of these scholarships in drawing out native talent, 
will be best seen on reference to the Townsend Fellowship, here- 
after detailed. 

The following distinctions were gained by pupils in this 
school, between March, 1860, and Easter, 1861: — The Senior 
Mathematical Scholarship in the University of Oxford; an Open 
Fellowship, Merton College, Oxford; a Second Class in Law 
aud History, ditto, ditto ; the fourth place of the year on the 
Classical Tripos, University of London ; Townsend Scholarship, 
Pembroke College, Oxford ; Open Demyship in Magdalen Col- 
lege, ditto (chiefly by Physical Sciences) ; Gentleman Cadetship 
(chiefly by Mathematics), this boy has since come out at Addis- 
combe for Woolwich, second of his year, with prize for Chemistry; 
title of A. A., Oxford, with first-class honours, and the Local 
Committee's Prize ; four similar titles, with second-class hon- 
ours, and all accompanied with the Local Committee's Prize ; 
three Oxford Junior Certificates, one receiving the same prize ; 
one Cambridge University Juuior Certificate, with Distinction in 
Latin. 

" Mr. Lewis Sergeant — son of Mr. Sergeant of York House 
— the author of a poem entitled ' Garibaldi/ published some 
months ago, in one of our local contemporaries, last w r eek ob- 
tained the first of two Scholarships given at St. Catherine's 
College, Cambridge. Mr. Sergeant had been a private pupil of 
Mr. Jeffrey, second foundation master of our Grammar School." 
{Cheltenham Examiner, June, 1861.) 

It is also the only locally endowed school on a royal foun- 
dation, and legally belonging to the University of Oxford ; on 
this account the youths attending the school very properly wear 
the Oxonian Cap. There is a tradition that Queen Elizabeth 
visited the school, after it had commenced, and was so pleased 
with the zeal of Mr. Pates, that she gave him the property which 
now forms the principal part of the endowment. This tradition 
has been handed down by the family whose ancestor was one of 
the original trustees. It is not improbable, considering the warm 
interest her Majesty took in the school, and especially as she 
passed through the place en route during the period. 



398 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

In 1852, Prince Albert addressed a complimentary letter to 
the head- master, on the occasion of practical science being added 
to the other subjects taught. The school was also honoured 
with a visit from Lord John Russell, who afterwards founded 
the Bedford Scholarship. 

Mr. Pates was a man in humble circumstances of life when 
young, but being a person possessing great acuteness, he was 
employed by Edward VI. , Henry VIII., and Queen Elizabeth, 
to survey and let out the land that had been confiscated in this 
county to the throne, at the dissolution of the monasteries. Mr. 
Pates, in after life, practised as a lawyer, and was evidently a 
person of great local influence; a proof of which is the fact that he 
held the offices of Recorder of Gloucester, Steward of the Manor 
of Prestbury, and he was also, at five successive severely con- 
tested elections, chosen M.P. for the City of Gloucester. From 
the manner in which his will is- worded, it would appear that his 
early education, which was at Corpus Christi College, was a work 
of charity, and hence, he says, that it was " in token of his 
thankful remembrance " of such instruction, that he appointed 
the president and scholars of the said college his trustees. He 
founded and endowed several other charitable institutions in this 
county, besides those which exist in our own town ; among the 
number is the St. Bartholomew Alms-house, Gloucester. Mr. 
Pates was buried in Gloucester Cathedral, where a handsome 
monument is erected to his memory, -and it has been several 
times repaired by the President of Corpus Christi College. It 
is situated in the south aisle, and is supported by columns. 
Mr. Pates is represented in the garb of a lawyer, in a kneeling 
position, with a child behind him ; Mrs. Pates is represented in 
a similar attitude, surrounded with three children. He died 
October 29, 1588, at the age of 73. The inscription on the 
monument, which is in Latin, was composed by himself, and has 
been thus translated into English : — " Richard Pates, Esq., late 
of this city, wiio lived 73 years, and died October, 1588, erecled 
this monument for himself, wife, and children-— 

Why do foolish mortals wish for the thread of life 
To be extended $ Life, no less wretched than evil. 
Shew me the Man whose Heart is not corroded with care < 
Shew me the Man whose mind is not conscious of wrong. 
In Heaven, life is void of cares, and guiltless of sin. 
This is true life ; every other life only kills," 



THE ENDOWED CHA1UTIES. 399 

The poet Shenstone, who visited Cheltenham in 1762, pays 
this tribute to the memory of Mr. Pates, written at the spot of 
his interment : — 

" Pure Charity, that comes not in a shower, 
Sudden and loud, oppressing what it feeds ; 
Eut, like the dew, with gradual silent power, 
Felt in the bloom it leaves along the meads. 

The happy grateful spirit, that improves 

And brightens every gift by Fortune given ; 
That wander where it will, with those it loves, 

Makes every place a home, and home a heaven. 

All these were his — oh ! thou who read'st this stone, 

When for thyself, thy children, to the sky. 
Thou humbly prayest, ask this boon alone, 

That ye like him may live, like him may die." 

Richard Pates deserves a public monument in the town which 
he has so much benefitted. His contemporaries in literature 
used to adopt water as a simile to show the value of education, 
and a statute to his memory, blended with a fountain, would 
combine two objects, which the inhabitants of Cheltenham would 
be glad to see accomplished. 

The age in which the founder lived was a most memorable 
one, for it was the era of the Reformation. The property which 
now supports the charity was originally left by our Catholic an- 
cestors for the endowment of local chantries and priories, and at 
the confiscation became the property of the crown. At the dis- 
solution of these monasteries, the poor were thrown upon their 
own resources, both for instruction and the relief of their phy- 
sical wants. Such was the unfortunate condition of this locality 
(in common with England), at the commencement of the reign 
of Queen Elizabeth, and hence we find that so many schools for 
the instruction of the children, and alms-houses for the support 
and refuge of the poor and aged, were generally instituted in 
that particular reign. This state of things attracted the atten- 
tion of some philanthropic and influential individuals, and 
among the number was Richard Pates, Esq., the founder of the 
Cheltenham Eree Grammar School and Alms-houses* a man (as 
the wording of the will by which he left the endowment fully 
proves) of the utmost benevolence. A careful perusal of the will 
of Mr. Pates, which is one of the most clear and definite docu- 
ments ever penned, proves that the object whieh he had in view 



400 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

was the education of the children of the locality. Cheltenham, 
at the time of the endowment, and the whole of the surrounding 
hamlets and villages then comprised in the " Cheltenham Hun- 
dred, 55 contained little more than 500 inhabitants. In the work 
of removing the " moral and mental darkness of the age, 55 Pates 
was assisted by various grants from Elizabeth, " of her royal 
mind and noble inclination, and of her divine and fervent zeal 
for the advancement of learning and good literature, and for the 
sustenance of the poor people.' 5 In the Elizabethan era, Latin 
and Greek were greatly in vogue, so that the teaching of it 
among the poor was a most desirable object. These were there- 
fore two things appointed by the founder to be taught, and in 
addition, the elementary rudiments of education, and the 
sciences and fine arts. Annexed are extracts from the original 
grant, which will explain the intentions of the donor : — 
" Whereas our said Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty, by her 
highess's letters patent, bearing date at Westminster, the seventh 
day of January, in the sixteenth year of her most gracious reign, 
being well-pleased to make the said Eichard Pate more liable 
sufficient to perfect and accomplish that good work which he 
then intended, in the edifying building, and perpetual foundation 
and maintenance of a Free Grammar School and Hospital in the 
town of Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, of her royal 
mind and noble inclination, and of her divine and fervent zeal 
for the advancement of learning and good literature, and for the 
sustenance of the poor people there ; and of her certain know- 
ledge and mere intention, hath for her, her heirs and successors, 
given and granted unto the said Eichard Pate, his heirs and 
assigns, all the lands, tenements, or hereditaments hereafter par- 
ticularly mentioned. 55 Item — " It is ordained that every scholar, 
at his first admission into the said school, shall pay fourpence, if 
his parents be inhabiting, or himself lodging in the parish of 
Cheltenham ; and shall pay eightpence if his parents be not 
dwelling, neither he himself lodging in the said parish ; which 
money the said schoolmaster for the time being shall receive and 
keep, and the same shall be registered in a book for that pur- 
pose, and of the same shall yield and make a perfect account to 
the visit ors of the said school at the several visitations. With 
which money the said schoolmaster shall buy and provide such 
Latin and Greek books as shall be most necessary for the public 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 401 

use of the said scholars, to be tied fast with little chains of iron 
fixed for that purpose in some convenient place of the said 
school.' 5 " The number of fifty scholars at the least, of which 
number four at the least shall have knowledge in the Greek 
and Latin tongues, and be able to make exercises in prose 
and verse, in those tongues and speak the Latin tongue ex- 
tempore, and five other of that number able to translate 
any piece of familar English speech into Latin, and four 
other able to make a sentence of true Latin between the no- 
minative case and the verb, and fourteen other able and ready 
to learn the rules or accidence to the rules of construction, and 
the residue of that number of good children of good aptness to 
learn." " Provided always, that both the said school-master and 
usher do teach the grammar allowed and approved by the com- 
mon authority of the Queen's Majesty that now is (Elizabeth), 
and of her highness's heirs or successors, Kings or Queens of 
this realm of England for the time being." Mr. Pates, in his 
cautiously-framed will also says, " It is ordained, whensoever the 
governors of the said school for the time being, shall appoint 
the day of the yearly visitation of the said school, that the said 
governors by the private letters of them, or some of them, or 
otherwise shall give warning thereof to the said schoolmaster for 
the time being, by the space of four days at the least ; against 
which day of visitation the said schoolmaster shall invite some 
of the learned men of his acquaintance, or others, dwelling in, 
or near the said town of Cheltenham, or the city of Gloucester, 
to be there present at the said visitation, at which visitation the 
said visitors appointed for the time being shall spend the time 
from eight or nine o'clock in the morning, until eleven, and from 
one until three, in the said visitation day, in opposing, trying, 
and examining the scholars of the said school for the time 
being, according to the covenant afore remembered. And that 
after such examinations are ended, the visitor then present shall 
determine and judge which four scholars of the said school have 
shown themselves best scholars of the whole number in the said 
disputations; and also which three of the next three fo urines to 
the highest fourme, have proved themselves the best scholars, 
severally of the said three fourmes. And according to such 
determination and judgment shall, with some convenient oration 
in Latin, give conclusion to that day's exercise." After these 



402 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

various examinations were concluded, prizes were to be bestowed, 
which to us at the present day seem very curious and trifling 
articles, but at the time the donor was living, they were no 
doubt handsome and useful presents — money in the Elizabethan 
era being of a very different value to the current coin. " And 
dispose such gifts and rewards as the said Richard Pates, the 
founder, (knowing that honour and reward yielded to virtue and 
learning doth greatly augment the same, especially in youth, 
hath appointed to be for ever provided for that purpose,) that is 
to say, to the best of the four, a pen of silver wholly gilt, value 
2s. 6d. ; to the second best, a pen of silver, parcel gilt, value 
Is. 8d. ; to the third, a pen of silver, value Is. ; to the fourth, a 
penner and inkhorn, value 6d. ; which four shall be termed the four 
visitors of the said school for that year, and that the other three 
adjudged the three best scholars of the next three several fourmes 
to the highest, have every one of them a quire of paper, price 
4d. for their rewards." When the prizes were severally given to 
the scholars specified at the conclusion of the oration, the whole 
company were to form themselves into a procession and go to 
the parish church. This, it should be borne in mind by the 
reader, was to be kept up every year. " The whole company of the 
scholars shall go in decent order, by two by two, into the parish 
church of Cheltenham, the four visitors coming last, next before 
the said schoolmaster and usher, each of them having a laurel 
garland on his head, provided for that purpose, and the other 
three rewarded scholars shall go together in one rank, next 
before the said four visitors, each of them holding his quire of 
paper folded up in his right hand. And in the said church they 
shall all kneel or stand in some convenient place to be appointed 
by the said schoolmaster, and then say or sing some convenient 
psalm or hymn, with a prayer, wherein shall be some convenient 
mention of the church, the realm, the town, and the said founder 
or his posterity then living." This was doubtless instituted by 
by Mr. Pate, in order to keep alive the interest of the charity, 
by preventing its falling into obscurity. This was his especial 
aim, as the several parts of his will clearly prove. 

In reference to the foundation of scholarships, the founder 
covenants — " That at ail and every time or times, when and as 
often as any room or rooms within Corpus Christi College, for a 
scholar or scholars of the County of Gloucester, shall be void 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 403 

and vacant, that then the said president shall choose or admit 
into such room or rooms, one or more of the Scholars of the said 
school at Cheltenham, being then as well qualified in every 
respect as any other scholar as shall stand against him or them 
to be elected out of the said school at Cheltenham. " 

The surplus of the estate is to be divided among different 
objects at discretion. " The sum remaining in surplusage, shall 
be yearly for ever bestowed, partly in bread, to be distributed 
among the poor dwelling in Cheltenham, on Good Friday, in the 
morning, and partly upon poor maidens' marriages in Cheltenham, 
and partly upon reparation of the highway leading, being and 
lying between Gloucester and Cheltenham, or upon any of these 
or other charitable deeds, as to the discretion of the said 
patrons and governors for the time being shall seem most con- 
venient." 

To the late T. Henney, Esq., a magistrate of the town, the 
public are indebted for a knowledge of the original grant of Mr. 
Pates. Mr. Henney took a warm interest in the charity, and at 
his own expense caused the document to be printed in 1820. In 
1847, when the question of restoration was again in agitation, in 
consequence of the prior copies being lost, Mr. Henney again had 
the grant printed. At a vestry meeting held on Easter Tuesday, 
1852, the grant and reports were ordered to be printed and cir- 
culated among the ratepayers. Some idea may be formed of the 
careful way in which the original grant was drawn up by Mr. 
Pates, from the fact that when it was re-published for the parish 
at the Examiner office, (with the committee's report) it filled 
sixty-four closely-printed pages ! 

On June 1, 1843, a committee, consisting of Messrs. Hale, 
Eead, Goding, Hollis, Humphris, and the Minister and Church- 
wardens, were elected to inquire into the charity in so far 
as related to its scholastic application. This committee reported 
annually. In 1848, the head-master being deceased, the affairs 
of the charity took a new and unexpected turn. By this event 
the charity, so far as the Grammar School is concerned, fell 
under the provisions of the Act of Parliament, 3 and 4 Vic. 
cap. 77, entitled "An Act for Improving the Condition and 
extending the Benefits of Grammar Schools." The following 
committee was appointed on Easter Tuesday, 1848 : — The Eev. 
F. Close, and Messrs. Wm. Hasell, G. J. Engall, Charles Hale, 



404 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

D. J. Humphris, John Goding, Wm. Hollis, Samuel Chas. Harper, 
Geo. Eowe, and Uobert Sole Lingwood, " to consider if any and 
what steps ought now to be taken by the inhabitants of Chelten- 
ham, for improving the condition of the Cheltenham Free Gram- 
mar School." The committee persevered in their efforts, and 
through the assistance of one of the number, R. S. Lingwood, 
Esq , solicitor, were enabled to proceed with the most marked 
success. The trustees at present acting unlike their predeces- 
sors, also manifested a desire for the restoration of the charity, 
and aided in obtaining so desirable an object. The committee 
were heard before the Masters in Chancery during several terms, 
and ultimately on November 11, 1851, obtained the scheme at 
present in use, and on November 14 following, the case was 
finally closed in the Yice-Chancellor's Court, before Sir E. T. 
Kindersley, who, in ordering the expenses of the suit to be paid 
out of the estate, passed a high eulogium on the committee for 
the assistance they had rendered. The deep interest which the 
existing trustees had manifested in the matter, induced the 
parish to withdraw the suit from Chancery, where it had been 
for forty years. This was a consummation most devoutly to be 
wished, and henceforth the entire income of the charity will be 
devoted to the original object for which it was intended by its 
benevolent founder. In order to illustrate the expenses of this 
Chancery suit in past years, we put on record a few items from 
the annual balance-sheets as taxed by the court : — 



YEAR. POR WHAT PURPOSE. AMOUNT. 

1840 Relator costs £490 6 

Defendant's taxed costs 341 18 7 

Relator's taxed costs 176 10 11 

1841 Relator's taxed costs 113 12 2 

Attorney-General's taxed costs 21 6 10 

Defendant's taxed costs 717 13 5 

Passing the accounts 95 7 2 

1842 Passing the accounts 40 



Total amount £1996 9 7 

1837 Granting Leases and Fines £64 

1840 New Leases and Counterparts 84 11 6 

1841 New Leases and Counterparts 222 7 6 

Total amount £370 19 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 405 

IN CONTRAST TO THIS WE GIVE THE EXPENDITURE OE THE CHARITY 
ESTATES AS ORDERED IN THE WILL OF MR. PATES. 

To the Master of the said School, to be yearly paid £16 

To the Usher of the said School, the yearly sura of 4 

For the charge of the yearly visitation of the said School 17 

To the Bailiff for gathering the rents of the property annually 6 8 

For the yearly repairs of the School and Alms-houses 16 

To six poor people in the Alms-house, Is. per week each 15 12 

Livery Gowns, &c, for the said inmates 2 8 

Total amount £40 9 8 

VISITATION EXPENSES ORDERED BY MR. PATES. 

11 Tor the charge of the yearly visitation of the said School, ac- £ s. d. 
cording to the order afore specified in that behalf as followeth : 
For the charge of a dinner the day of the said visitation, for 
the persons then assembled there with the visitors of the said 
School, and for horse-meat there 20s., and for the reward of 
Seven Scholars of the said School, according to aforesaid 
order,7s 17 

VISITATION EXPENSES IN 1844. 

" By Cash paid expenses incurred by the Trustees in a visitation 
to the Charity on June 2, 1841, by the President, one Bursar, 
and one Tutor of Corpus Christi College, being the amount 

OE THEIR BILL AT THE HOTEL AT CHELTENHAM (!) with a 

proportion of their travelling expenses, the President and Bur- 
sar being then upon a progress elsewhere." 10 4 6 

The evil of the law proceedings and financial management 
consequent thereon, was strikingly illustrated by reports pre- 
sented at a vestry meeting convened for the purpose in May, 
1859 : — " By the year 1855, the revenues of the charity ought 
to have amounted to £2,250 a year, and deducting one-fourth 
due to the charity, would give the sum of £1,686 coming to 
the inhabitants of Cheltenham, which sum was now reduced to 
£600, mainly owing to the keeping up of the lease system. 
There would now be an end to the fee system, for which there 
was never any necessity, and which was against the language 
of the good man who bequeathed the charity. The master only 
received £216 a year from the fund, instead of £616." — 
(Address of G. E. Williams, Esq.) 

The charity has occupied the attention of the parishioners, in 
vestry assembled, for half a century. It is now gratifying to bs 
enabled to record that the future income will be solely applied 



406 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

to its legitimate object. The cessation of law proceedings has 
been brought about through the praiseworthy exertions of G. E. 
Williams, Esq., Clerk to the Improvement Commissioners, who 
by dint of perseverance in moving resolutions at vestry meetings, 
saved the interests of the charity from being further injured by 
legal expenses. 

In order to perpetuate this most excellent bequest, we here 
publish a full description of the property which forms the 
endowment of the venerable " Schola Grammatical and Alms- 
houses. 

Pate's Charity, for the Endowment of a Eree Grammar School and Alms-houses 
in the Parish of Cheltenham. — Terrier of the Charity Estates, description of 
property belonging to the charity. 

IN CHELTENHAM. 

The Old Swan Inn and premises, High-street. 

Two houses and premises, Nos. 185 and 186 North side of High-street, and 

garden. 
House and shop, Nos. 189 and 190, North side of High-street. 
House and premises, No. 312, South side of High-street. 
House and shop, No. 313, South side of High-street. 

Three houses and premises, Nos. 314, 315, and 316, on South side of High-street. 
Two houses in New-street, and two houses in Ambrose-street. 
House and two shops, No, 181, on the North side of High-street, and premises 

behind. 
House and premises, No. 182, on the North side of High street. 
Part of King's Head Inn, South side of High-street. 
Three houses and premises, Nos. 203, 204, and 205, High-street, and 17 houses 

on the East side, and 8 on the West side of Milsom-street. 
House and premises on the West side of Milsom-street, called the Stone House. 
Three houses, Nos. 207, 208, and 209, on the North side of High-street, and 13 

cottages on the West side of Milsom-street. 
Part of Regent Cottage, and part buildings behind, and land on the West side of 

Regent-street. 
House and premises. No. 368, on the South side of High-street, with Tavern and 

and Wine Yaults in Regent-street, and land containing in length from North to 

South, 106 feet 9 inches. 
Three houses on the North side of New-street. 
Two houses, Nos. 195 and 196, on the north side of High-street, three cottages 

on the East side of King street, two cottages and land on the East side of 

King-street. 
House, No. 169, on the North side of High-street, and garden and 15 houses on 

the West side of Ambrose- street. 
Three villas called Oxford Villas and Keynsham Villa, Sandford Lodge and 22 

houses in Corpus-street. 
Land adjoining Keynsham House. 

163, High-street, and 28 houses in Henrietta-street. 

164, 165, and 166, on the North side of High-street. 



THE ENDOWED CHAEITIES. 407 

Cowcombe Shade, 0a. lr. 4p. 

Pour houses on the East side of King-street. 

Two lions, s, workshops, and premises, on the North side of High -street, No. 192. 

Land in the Marsh, 0a. lr. 34p. 

House and premises. No. 296, ou Vae South side of High-street. 

Brewery, stable, workshops, outbuildings, and land Sherborne -street. 

Female Training School, late Hospital and Dispensary, aud other premise* on 

the North side of High -street. 
Five houses, workshops, buildings, and yard in Albion-street. 
House, No. 248, Hi gjh- street, buildings and land on the South side High-street, 

adjoining Bloomsbury-place. 
Two houses, No. 202 on the North side of High -street, with garden and cottage 

behind. 
House, No. 201, on the North side of High-street. 
House, No. 200, and land on the North side of High-street. 
Plot of ground in the Lower Field on the North side of the Turnpike Road 

leading from Cheltenham to Tewkesbury. 
House, No, 292, on the South side of High-street. 
Five houses, Nos. 287, 288, 289, 290, and 291, on the South side of High-street, 

with land, aud four houses and land m Devonshire-street, having a frontage of 

139 feet towards that street. 
Five houses ou land oa the West side of Devonshire-street, and land having a 

frontage of 65 feet. 
Three houies on laud on the West side of Devonshire-street, 
House No. 297, on the South side ot High-street, a house behind in New-street, 

and garden between. 
Five houses on the West side of Devonshire-street. 

Laud bounded on the West by New-street, and on the East by the Knapp. 
House and premises, No. 61 on the North side of High-street, and Hartley 

House, in Albion-street. 
Two cottasres and land in the Parish of Swindon, containing 5a. Or. 17p. 
House, 232. in the High street, extending to Back-street. 
Houses aud shops, No. 419, on the South side of High-street, with two cottager 

and workshops adjoining: also house and shop, No. 420 adjoining, with yard 

and outbuildings. 
Charity School in Devonshire-street. 

tSt GLOUCESTER. 

Tenement and garden, heretofore called Trinity College, in the Parish of Holy 
Trinity, but now part aud parcel of the Bull Inn and Malt house. 

Tenement formerly called Grace Lane College, situate on the East side of St. 
John's Lane. 

Part of a messuage or tenement in Northgate-street, on the South side of Dol- 
phin Lane. 

House and garden in Northgate-street. 

In addition to this, the charity possessed a farm at Leigh 109 
acres in extent. The Court of Chancery directed this to be sold, 
and the money was applied to meet the purchase of " Yearsley's 
Boarding House," and the other additions to the original school 
building. 



408 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



PATE S ALMS-HOUSE. 



Eichard Pate, Esq., in 1578, founded, endowed, and erected 
an Alms-house, or as it was styled in the Elizabethan era, a 
hospital, for the support of six natives of Cheltenham, who had 
attained the age of 60 years. The grant securing this bequest, 
is a continuation of the same document alluded to in the pre- 
ceding account of the Grammar School. The benevolent donor 
has evinced great care and forethought in the foundation of this 
charity, securing comfort, both physically and spiritually to the 
recipients, and laying down rules for perpetuating the benefits 
arising therefrom. During the lifetime of the donor, and for 
many years afterwards, the inmates received but £3 per annum 
each, in accordance with the original instructions ; since the 
increased value of the property bequeathed, they have received 
each £20 per annum, besides being entitled to a rent-charge of 
12s. upon Hatherly Farm. The Alms-house originally erected 
by Mr. Pate contained all the conveniences and comforts so 
feelingly detailed in the grant. It existed in the High-street, 
near the present Eoyal Hotel, on the site of the premises now 
occupied by Mills Brothers, and extended backwards to Albion- 
street. A representation of the building is preserved on a 
parchment terrier of the charity estates, and it is remembered by 
inhabitants now living. It was of ancient form, built of stone, 
and of a substantial character. To the house was attached a 
chapel, over the centre of which was suspended an exposed bell, 
which was wont to summon the inmates to their daily devotions. 
In this act they were frequently joined by some of the inhabi- 
tants, and the late E. Hatch, Esq., who was parish church- 
warden for 21 years, was among the number who frequently 
mingled with the worshippers. The building was approached 
by a court yard neatly ornamented with a grass plat, and behind 
were garden ground, pasture land, and an orchard, as detailed 
in the extract from the grant annexed. Over the entrance door 
was inscribed " Holy and Indivisible Trinity Alms-houses, 
founded by Eichard Pate, Esq , A.D. 1578." The bell which 
was wont to summon the ancient occupants to worship was in 
the possession of the late Mr. T. Haines, builder, and yet exists 
in the workshops in Windsor Terrace : it is now used to an- 
nounce the time of departure for the workmen. In the Court 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 409 

Poll at the Manor-office, occurs the following entry by J. Prinn, 
Esq., Steward of the Manor, made in the year 1690 : — " There 
are also within this town a Free Grammar School, now under 
the management of Mr. Robert Pogers, A.M., of the said Uni- 
versity, a good man and an excellent scholar; also an Alms-house, 
both built of excellent handsome freestone in the seventh year 
of Queen Elizabeth's reign by Richard Pate, Esq., of Minster- 
worth, in the county of Gloucester, and both by him well en- 
dowed." In 1801, under the powers of an enclosure act, allot- 
ments of land were made in lieu of tithes. To effect this, the 
property of the parish had to be examined by a tithe commis- 
sioner, and an award given. In the aw r ard under this act, the 
Alms-house is thus described : — 

Annual Tithe 
Payment. Owners. Property. Quantity. 

£ s. d. a. r. p. 

3 8 4... S C °c P n S e ^ e hriSti } Alms-houses, Court, Garden 1 5 

3 19 2 Ditto Garden & Orchard adjoining thereto... 1 13 

By virtue of a clause in the supplement to this act the Alms- 
house was taken down, and on its site was reared the Yittoria 
Hotel, a place of fashionable resort for some time, but which in 
its turn was also destined to obscurity, having been converted 
into the three private dwelling-houses now standing. The Alms- 
house was rebuilt in its present position in Albion- street, and 
has a stone front, with the name and date of its founder in- 
scribed thereon. It has, however, no chapel, nor orchard and 
pasture attached, as in olden time, and the building itself is 
altogether different from what was intended by the donor. It 
occupies the site of a former billiard-room, which under the 
enclosure act was valued at only £\ 15s. 8d., and the ground 
estimated to measure only 17 perches. This exchange of sites 
was injurious to the charity, the quantity and situation of the 
former rendering it most valuable property, whilst the small 
quantity of the present is valueless, and the situation is most 
objectionable. Except the increase in the payment, the Alms- 
house inmates are not in so good a position as in the lifetime of 
the founder, although the income of his estates has increased 
twelve times in amount since his decease ; the number of six are 
all that are at present on the foundation. 



410 HISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The Cheltenham Chronicle of May 21, 1812, contains the 
following advertisement of the sale of the site of the old Alms- 
houses, and the editor's comment thereon : — 

" Excellent situation in Cheltenham. — To be sold by private contract, a piece 
of freehold ground, with the old buildings thereon, most eligibly situated in the 
fashionable part of High-street, opposite the New Assembly Rooms. — Eor par- 
ticulars apply to Mr. Smith, Bank." 

" A neat and commodious Alms-house has lately been erected on the north side 
of our town ; the poor dependants removed from their late dwelling, and the 
ground advertised to be disposed of for the construction of a more regular piece 
of building, in conformity to the other houses in the principal street. The old 
hospital was founded in the year ] 574, bv Eichard Pate, Esq., who was recorder 
of Gloucester, 1556, and confirmed by Queen Elizabeth in 1561. The charity 
was originally designed for three men and three women. The houses at present 
are occupied by six aged females, whose support does not arise entirely from the 
primitive endowment, but from occasional donations and subscriptions." 

The exchange of the sites was effected in 1811, by virtue of 
the supplemental enclosure act, and at the same time the sum of 
£250 was paid to the trustees, by Mr. Smith, the purchaser of 
the original buildings, who afterwards disposed of the property 
for £2,000. 

Extract from Mr. Pate's grant : — " It is ordained that the 
hospital be for ever called and named by the title of the Hos- 
pital or Alms-house of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in 
Cheltenham, of the foundation of Eichard Pate, Esq. And that 
there shall be from time to time for ever, remaining and sus- 
taining there, six poor people, whereof two at least shall be poor 
women, and that they shall have every one of them a private 
chamber in the said hospital, and a private garden at the back 
side thereof, and shall have in common the kitchen of the said 
hospital, and the well there being, and the pasture and the 
profit of the orchard and close lying and being at the back side 
of the said hospital, and for their further relief as in the order of 
employment hereafter following in money and clothes is ap- 
pointed for them. Item. — To the six poor people of the said 
hospital yearly, as followeth, viz., — to every one of them on the 
Eriday of every week in the year, Is. in money, amounting yearly 
to £15 12s. And for the charge of 40 yards of black frieze, to 
be distributed among them yearly, between the feasts of St. 
Michael, the Archangel and All Saints, to make them livery- 
gowns therewith, viz., to every of the said poor men seven yards, 
and to either of the said poor women five yards, at Is. the yard, 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 411 

40s., and to every of them the said poor people fourpence apiece, 
to be delivered to them over and beside their week's wages, at 
every of the feasts of All Saints, Christmas, Easter, and Pente- 
cost, yearly in toto £18. Item. — The churchwardens of the 
Parish Church at Cheltenham, for the time being, shall have the 
election or placing of some one or more for supplying or filling 
of the said room or rooms, so being void and vacant. Item. — 
And be it further ordained, that one of the said poor people shall 
be able to read the common prayers in the chapel of the said 
hospital, and that such reader shall be some old or impotent 
priest or minister that cannot conveniently serve in any place of 
cure or public ministry, of reason of such his impotency or age, 
if any such may be had conveniently. And that generally in 
such elections, utter decays of substance happening by having or 
breeding of many children, or by fire or tempest, or by robbery, 
or by wreck on the seas, or by unwise lending or suretiship, or 
by sickness, or by such other means as shall be mercifully or 
specially considered of; and further, that none shall be admitted 
but such as for the space of three years before have been of good 
name and fame, and have been void of all notorious crimes, and that 
a special regard be had to preferring honest widows or widowers, 
before others. Item. — It is ordained that every of the said poor 
people of the said hospital, shall twice in every day of the year, 
immediately after the tolling of the bell of the chapel of the said 
hospital, resort to the said chapel, and there be exercised for the 
space of one whole hour, in hearing divine service and common 
prayer read by the minister of the said hospital, and in default 
thereof, shall, nevertheless, be there continuing and remaining 
together in private prayer and contemplation during the said 
time, viz., from eight until nine o'clock in the forenoon of every 
day, and in the afternoon from half- past two until half-past 
three, between the feasts of All Saints and the Conversion of St. 
Paul, and during the residue of the whole year, from four until 
five o'clock in the afternoon of every day for ever. Except he 
or she having some lawful cause to the contrary be licensed to 
be absent by the said schoolmaster, or in his absence, by the 
usher for the time being, in which their said prayers private and 
public, they shall both forenoon and afternoon, pray especially 
for Christ's Church, and all the members thereof, for our sove- 
reign Lady Elizabeth the Queen's Majesty that now is, and after 



412 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

her decease, for the Kings or Queens of this realm for the time 
being, and for peace and concord in all Christendom, and 
especially in England, and for the preservation of the offspring 
of the said Richard Pate, their founder, then living, and for all 
the inhabitants of the town of Cheltenham. Item. — It is 
ordained, that none be chosen or admitted to be of the poor 
people of this foundation, but such as shall be of the age of 
three- score years at the least, and shall also be born within the 
parish of Cheltenham, and for want of such, then some other 
born in the parish of Leigh." 

THE TOWNSEND EXHIBITION. 

Education, useful, liberal education, will ever remain " one 
of the requirements of the age." Hence, we should attach 
great importance to the efforts that were made by those benevo- 
lent individuals, at different periods between the sixteenth and 
eighteenth centuries to establish and permanently endow schools 
and college fellowships, for the gratuitous instruction of the 
children of this town. Among the number of bequests of this 
class, was one for the supporting of a scholar at Pembroke Col- 
lege, Oxford, to be elected out of the Cheltenham Eree Grammar 
School. The donor was George Townsend, Esq., an individual 
who, by perseverance and industry, arose from the humblest 
walks of life, to be an eminent counsellor of the court of Charles 
II. Mr. Townsend became possessed of several valuable estates 
in this vicinity, the whole of which he bequeathed for charitable 
purposes. The donor received his education at Mr. Pate's 
Grammar School, in this town. Mr. Townsend, when he grew 
affluent, knew from experience, that amongst the humbler classes 
there existed those who possessed talents, but had not the 
means to cultivate them, to the advantage of themselves or 
society at large. Hence, Mr. Townsend, not forgetting the 
means whereby he was himself enabled to rise to eminence, 
bequeathed property for the support of a youth residing in this 
town, at Pembroke College, who was an attendant at Mr. Pate's 
School. The estate left for this purpose is situate at Cold Aston, 
about 12 miles distant. In the life time of the donor, it let for 
£80, and it is now worth £240 per annum. The estate was 
bequeathed for the support of eight scholars, four to be periodi- 
cally sent from the endowed Grammar Schools of Cheltenham 



THE ENDOWED CHABITIES. 413 

Gloucester, Winchcomb, and Carapden, and four at the dis- 
cretion of the trustees, the President and Scholars of Pembroke 
College. The average annual value of each of these exhibitions 
is £50, when only the four school exhibitors are elected. They 
are enhanced by the donor having willed that any of the said 
scholars shall be eligible to hold the following church livings, 
which were his private property, being purchased shortly before 
his decease, for the purpose of increasing the value of the exhi- 
bition : — Colbrook, Bucks, donative ; Slifford, Essex, rectory, 
value £507 per annum; Uxbridge, Middlesex, donative, value 
£111 per annum; Thurrock Greys, Essex, vicarage, value £160 
per annum. The donor has ordained that merit shall be the only 
test of qualification to be adopted at the election of these scholars. 
The youths regularly attending the school are to be summoned 
together on the day of trial, in the presence of the minister, 
bailiff, and churchwardens of this parish, when certain questions 
on history are to be put, and examinations in the English, Latin, 
and Greek languages are to take place, and the youth who 
manifests the most skill and correctness in his replies, is to be 
declared duly elected to the fellowship. This charity was 
founded in 16S3, and is the more interesting on account of the 
founder having been himself a scholar at the very school he has 
endowed. The exhibition will now be of great value to the 
town, as the number of scholars at the Grammar School are so 
considerable as to render it certain that there will be many com- 
petitors. A laudable stimulus will thus be given to education, 
and the most diligent scholar in his studies will carry off the 
prize. 

Extract from Mr. Townsend's will. — " And whereas I am seized 
in fee of the reversion of a messuage and lands in Little Aston, 
called Little Aston Earm,in the parish of Cold Aston, in the county 
of Gloucester, and the tythes of corn thereof, I give and devise the 
same farm and tythes, and the appurtenances, unto the Master, 
Fellows, and Scholars of Pembroke College, in the University of 
Oxford, to have and to hold the same to them and their suc- 
cessors for ever, upon special trust and confidence, nevertheless, 
and to the intent and purpose that they pay, employ, and bestow 
the rents, issues, and profits thereof in manner following, that is 
to say, the first year and a half year's rent thereof after my 
decease for and toward the necessary building of, or repairing of 



414 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

the said college; the next half year's rent thereof for and 
towards the providing of fitting studies and necessary bedsteads, 
feather beds, other bedding, and furniture, of chambers, to be 
used in succession by scholars hereafter to be placed within the 
said college, rent free, in respect to the said first year and half 
year's rent by me as aforesaid given, which scholars I will and 
desire to be in number eight, to be chosen on the first Wednes- 
day in December yearly, the first election to be on the second 
year after my decease, whereof I will that one of the four of the 
first eight scholars be chosen by the Mayor and six of the senior 
Aldermen of the City of Gloucester, and the chief schoolmaster 
of the chief school there for the time being, out of the scholars 
of the said school ; another out of the scholars of the Chelten- 
ham School, in which I was a scholar; another out of Campden 
School; and a fourth out of Northleach School; the three last- 
named scholars to be chosen by the chief schoolmasters, minis- 
ters, bailiffs, or other chief officers for the said three towns for 
the time being, and in equality of voices, the said schoolmasters 
to have the casting voice ; and my desire is that each scholar so 
elected go to the said college with writings under seal of their 
said elections, at the feast of the Annunciation of the blessed 
Yirgin Mary, thence next ensuing ; and each scholar for and 
during eight years thence next ensuing, to have an eighth part 
of the said rents, and the rest of the said rents during the first 
four years of that time go to the further benefit of the said 
College ; and my further will is, that on the said first Wednes- 
day in December, in the last of the said four years, elections be 
made in like manner as aforesaid, in the said city and eech of 
the said market towns, of one fitting scholar to go to the said 
University at the feast of Annunciation next ensuing, and each 
of them for eight years to have an eighth part of the said rent 
for his maintenance in the said college ; and so on for every 
fourth year, elections be made to go to the said college in man- 
ner and form aforesaid ; and every scholar to have a like share 
of the eighth part of the said rents for and towards his mainte* 
nance as aforesaid ; and during the vacancy or absence of any 
such scholar from the said college, the others of them to have 
his share and part of the said rents ; provided always and my 
will is, that none but fitting grammar scholars, fit to go to the 
said University, be elected ; and in case any such not fitting 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 415 

scholar be elected, I will that he be refused by the master of the 
said college to be admitted there, and in his stead another 
scholar of Gloucester School be elected ; and my desire is that 
the said scholars during their four last years of residence in the 
said college, addict the studies to Divinity, for whose encourage- 
ment therein, I will that my rectory of Slifford, and vicarage of 
Grays Thowck, in Essex, and the donations of Uxbridge and 
Colbrook, so often as any of them shall fall void, be conferred 
on such of the said scholars as shall be fitting divines." 

It is gratifying to be able to add that in past times, as well 
as at the present day, the intentions of the donor have been 
fully realised. The late Eev. T. F. Henney, M.A., son of the 
late T. Henney, Esq., J.P., of Cheltenham, who was educated 
at Pate's Grammar School, in the town of his birth, won the 
Townsend Exhibition, and attained to great eminence as a 
scholar in after life. He was successively elected fellow, tutor, 
examiner, and bursar of Pembroke College, Examining Chaplain 
to the Bishop of Lincoln, and was appointed to a Prebendary Stall 
in Lincoln Cathedral. In 1862 a scholarship of £90 per 
annum was founded in commemoration of Mr. Henney, in 
connection with Pembroke College. The periodical elections 
secure the best scholar in the school, and the competitions have 
a tendency to promote and stimulate the acquisition of know- 
ledge. 

" We have much pleasure in announcing that Mr. Henry 
Swann, a pupil of the Cheltenham Grammar School, has been 
recently admitted by the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, 
to one of the Townsend Exhibitions belonging to the school." 
— {Cheltenham Examiner, March 13, 1861.) 

Among the many who by the aid of this charity have been 
enabled to advance themselves in life, may be mentioned the 
celebrated Dr. Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, the son of a 
butcher in humble circumstances in Gloucester, and the Eev. 
J. Lightfoot, A.M., the well-known botanist, and the companion 
of the great Pennant. * The evangelical preacher, George 
Whitfield, owed his early fame to the fact of his preparing 
himself for a candidate for Townsend's Exhibition at the Crypt 
School, at Gloucester ; and as a proof of the practical value of 
our ancient local Grammar Schools, it may be cited that the 



416 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

learned native astronomer. Dr. Bradley, received his education 
at the Northleach Grammar School. 

townsend's school bequest. 

Amongst the local educational bequests, was an annual sum 
payable out of an estate left by George Town send, Esq., in 1683. 
Like many other charities left during the seventeenth century, 
the annual sum originally contemplated by the donor was ex- 
ceedingly small. The great increase, however, of all classes of 
property in this locality since that period, has greatly enhanced 
the value of the bequest. Mr. Townsend willed £4 yearly " for 
teaching poor children to read and write, residing in the parish 
of Cheltenham." The property bequeathed now, and for many 
years past, has allowed £20 annually for this object. The bequest 
was the means of establishing the first school for the local poor, 
which is yet continued under the name of the " Old Charity 
School," Devonshire -street, and receives support from Mr. 
Townsend's estate. The source from whence this fund is 
derived, is a very extensive and ancient estate, situate at the 
adjacent village of Wormington. Of the value and fertility of 
this estate, the reader may form some idea from the fact that at 
the present day it realises £250 annually. The house is large, 
and in all probability was erected at the early part of the six- 
teenth century. The estate was very anciently one of great 
importance ; and its different possessors, prior to its alienation 
to Mr. Townsend, in the reign of Charles II., are related by 
most county topographers. The land comprises 155 acres, the 
rental of which, added to the tithes of the parish, make up the 
income of the charity. The estate at Wormington, in the life- 
time of the donor, realised about £70 annually. In 1804 it let 
for £150, and in consequence of an enclosure of some lands, it 
has increased since then £100 annually in value. 

Between 1768 and 1807, the trustees out of the savings of 
income, purchased to the amount of £800, in the three-per-cent. 
consols, and the dividends were applied to enclosing and im- 
proving the estate- 
Extract from Mr. Towsend's will.- — " Whereas, 1 am seized 
in fee, with the Manor of Wormington, with the appurtenances, 
with a close in Winchcomb, in the aforesaid county of Glouces- 
ter, and a portion of tythes in Neather Guitings ; and as for 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 417 

and concerning the rents and profits of the said portion of tythes 
and of the said rest and residue of the said lands and tenements 
of the said Manor of Wormington, I will and appoint the same 
to be disposed and employed in the uses and interests and pur- 
poses following, that is to say, four pounds yearly for the teach- 
ing of poor children to read, and for buying of them books in 
each of the towns of Winchcomb, Northleach, Campden, and 
Cheltenham, in the said county of Gloucester, willing and 
ordering that the said children repair to the schools and be 
taught both forenoons and afternoons of all days, not being 
holy days or festival days appointed by the Church of England, 
not excepting the weeks of Easter, Pentecost, or Christmas, to 
avoid their being offensive at home or elsewhere; and I further 
will and appoint three shillings weekly to be disposed of in the 
church of Winchcomb every Lord's Day, by the ministers, 
bailiffs, churchwardens, or overseers of the poor there, to such 
of the poor there present as shall be frequenters of the church, 
and there present at most part or whole of Divine Service, and 
not to any other poor, sick, or impotent person of the same 
town. And I will and appoint twelvepence weekly to be 
bestowed in bread, and distributed in like manner to each of the 
poor of the towns of Northleach, Campden, and Neather 
Guiting." 

townsend's apprenticeship bequest. 

George Townsend, Esq., in 1683, also left a portion of the 
annual proceeds of his estate at Wormington, before detailed 
" for the binding and putting forth of a poor boy, able to read, 
to be an apprentice," belonging to Cheltenham. The amount 
which annually accrues to the town from the charity is £15, and 
the trustees effect an apprenticeship, the preference being 
given to a boy educated at the Old Charity School, now amal- 
gamated with the school in Devonshire-street. The donor has 
ordered that his trustees shall meet together every year at 
Winchcomb, and out of the estate have given to them an 
ordinary of the value of eight-pence, and an extra five shillings 
for ale. After the dinner, each trustee is to have presented to 
him a pair of new kid gloves. This request of the donor is 
strictly complied with, and the trustees annually assemble to 
commemorate the good man's benefactions at Winchcomb, and 



418 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

although the change of time has increased the expense of 
"ordinaries/' yet a little is added from private sources to the 
" eight-pence/ 5 in order to increase the comforts and the hilarity 
of the annual gathering. 

Extract from Mr. Townsend's will — " And I will and appoint 
that twenty and five pounds yearly be laid forth for the binding 
and putting forth of five poor boys, able to read, to be appren- 
tices, whereof I appoint one to be of each of the towns of 
Northleach, Winchcomb, Campden, and Cheltenham, and the 
fifth to be of Neather Guiting, or of Blockly, in the county of 
Worcester. And if so many be not found fitting there, then of 
poor boys out of other places, at the discretion of my said 
trustees, or their successors. Willing also that my said trustees 
prefer such as shall be commended to them by the ministers,, 
churchwardens, or overseers of the poor, or other officers of the 
said towns. And I will, desire, and order that my said trustees, 
or the greater number of them, and all assistants to them, be 
chosen as hereinafter is mentioned, for the better execution of 
these my trusts in them reposed, meet yearly in Winchcomb, in 
the first Saturday in the month of May, and that they have 
there an eight-penny ordinary for themselves only, and that five 
shillings shall be further allowed them for beer after dinner, and 
other their joint-expenses there, and that every one of them have a 
pair of gloves given him, not exceeding the price of twelvepence. 
And that the receiver of the said rents, and disposer thereof for the 
said several purposes, provide two books for accounts thereof, 
whereof one to be kept by him, and the other by one whom my 
trustees shall think fit ; wherein shall be contained all the receipts 
and payments made, the names of all apprentices placed or ap- 
pointed to be placed,and the names of trustees or assistants chosen, 
and all other concernments to be posed, audited, allowed and 
subscribed by the said trustees and assistants at their yearly 
meetings." 

walwyn's charity. 

In 1627, John Walwyn, Esq., bequeathed the annual sum of 
£2 10s., chargeable upon the adjacent manor of Swindon, to the 
Cheltenham Churchwardens, to be by them annually distributed 
amongst the poor of their parish. This is the oldest loca 
charity of its kind, and whilst similar bequests of a more recent 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 419 

date have fallen to decay, or become consolidated, Mr.Walwyn's 
wishes have been from the first carried out. The ancient beauest 
is distributed yearly on the first day of May, amongst twenty 
Bged and indigent persons in sums of 2s. 6d. each. 

George's charity. 

Prom the ancient church tablet, we learn, that in "1620, 
Robert George, Esq., gave by will 3s. 4d. to be paid yearly to 
the poor, and the like sum to the minister, for ever." The 
Charity Commissioners in 1824, in respect to this old bequest, 
report — " The present incumbent, the Rev. C. Jervis, has once 
received this, but there is no account of any other payment." 
This bequest was left as a remuneration for the incumbent for 
the time being to preach a sermon in i( the sowing season," on 
the parable of the sower. 

poor's grounds charity. 

The land forming this bequest is situate in Bouncer's Lane, 
adjoining the New Cemetery, and contains 27a. 2r. lp. For 
many years this land has been in the occupation of Mr. Charles 
Field, of this town, as yearly tenant, at a rental of £63 per 
annum. This amount has for many years been disbursed by 
the churchwardens on St. Thomas's day, and the mode of dis- 
tribution has been to issue tickets entitling the recipients to 
food or clothing to the value of half-a-crown or five shillings, 
such tickets to be accepted and responded to by any tradesman 
in the town who is himself chargeable to the rates, and the 
object has been to afford this gratuity to such persons as have 
not received parish relief from the Union. 

The Poor's Grounds were purchased in the reign of Charles 
II., and invested in the churchwardens as trustees on the part 
of the parish. During the period of the Commonwealth, many 
small bequests to the poor w r ere lost, and after the Restoration, 
steps were taken to collect the sums of money lent out upon 
securities, and to invest the same in the purchase of lands. 
Hence the origin of the Poor's Grounds in most country parishes, 
of those of Cheltenham in particular. 

Moreau says that " charities for the benefit of the poor and 



420 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

for putting out apprentices were, in 1667, consolidated and laid 
out in the purchase of lands called the Poor's Grounds, which 
though worth only £8 5s. per annum, are now (1800) let for 
£18, and applied according to the intentions of the respective 
donors." The amalgamation of all the small charities into the 
Poor's Lands Charity is recorded on an ancient tablet in the Parish 
Church. On a parchment roll in the parish chest, containing 
some particulars of the older charities, and signed by the 
churchwardens, it is said that "In 1667, the Poor's Grouds 
were purchased with divers charities left by several pious 
persons." 

Following the order of date, the next record of bequests 
occurs in the old vestry-book. The first entry is on October 17, 
1636, and is an account of a vestry meeting, for the purpose of 
placing out at interest some of the charities of the parish, and 
is signed by the then churchwardens, Christopher Bayley, 
Walter Pard, and Thomas Comford. Although a folio page is 
taken up with a description of the charities, some of it is in 
such an illegible character that it cannot be transcribed entire. 
One charity is spoken of as left by will, Nov. 5, 1632, and 
another by a Walter Parry, amounting to £2 13s. 4d. per 
annum. The next entry is as follows : — " Given by John 
Norton, deceased, to remayne to ye poore yearly £3, paid to 
Sturney Boberts, and ye other churchwardeus the sevene day of 
April, 1637." In five years after this date, the annexed is 
recorded in a very clear and conspicuous hand : doubtless the 
recorder in this instance was the minister for the time being — 
"In ye yeare of our Lord God, 1642. Memorandum; that 
fiftie pounds given and bequeathed by ye last will and testament 
of Alexander Parker, of Ham, gent., for ye yearly use of the 
parish of Cheltenham, was paid unto Walter Mason, one of ye 
churchwardens of ye said parish, and this year ye said fiftie 
pounds was let out by bond unto Lodwick Parker, gent., Henry' 
Mason being his suretie.' The last notice of local bequest 
recorded in this old vestry-book prior to the Poor's Grounds 
purchase, is the following : — " In ye yeare of our Lord God 
1650, memorandum, that twenty shillings given and bequeathed 
by ye last will and testament of Thomas Finch Emily, deceased, 
to ye use of ye poore of ye parish of Cheltenham, was paid 
unto John Chostnow, John Collett, Robert Milton, and Matthew 



THE ENDOWED CHAB1TIES. 421 

Cox, churchwardens of ye said parish in this yeare, which said 
twenty shillings is to remain as a stock to yee use of ye poore 
for eever to be let out by the present and succeeding church- 
wardens." These, doubtless, are a portion of the charities 
which were amalgamated in the seventeenth century, and the 
gross sum applied to the purchase of the Poor's Grounds. 
This is corroborated by ti:e circumstance of bequests that were 
left after the purchase being mentioned in the parish documents, 
while no allusion to the above is made. The Poor's Grounds 
were let out by the churchwardens from the very first, and the pro- 
ceeds divided amongst the poor. In the parish chest, on a large 
parchment brief, is preserved a lease of these grounds, bearing 
date 1693, and it is the earliest document of its kind known. 
The lessee is John Wills, who is described as the son of a former 
lessee. The parties granting the lease are Walter Nicholls and 
John Finch, the churchwardens. The term was for eight years, 
" The pasture land £8, and the underwood at £10 per annum, 
called Broadlesow, Broadlesow Bottum, and Oatie Pedid." 
The most recent lease occurs amid some government correspon- 
dence in the parish chest. The lessee was John Gardner, Esq., 
at a rental of £20 per annum. Until within the last 30 years, 
it was customary to annually let these grounds by public auction 
at the Eight Bells Inn. The present lessee, as we have said, is 
Mr. C. Field, at a rental of £63 per annum. The manner in 
which the proceeds of the rental of these grounds has been 
expended in former years, and even down to a comparatively 
recent date, there is no written evidence to show. It was, in all 
probability, very anciently distributed in the way desired by 
those persons who lelt the bequests before detailed, the gross 
amount of which was applied to the purchase of these grounds. 
During the lifetime of a former incumbent of this parish, the 
Rev. G. Jervis, it was distributed amongst the indigent in bread 
and money. At the suggestion of the commissioners of public 
charities, at the time they visited the town, the churchwardens 
now distribute the amount in tickets which entitles the bearer to 
5s. or 2s. 6d. worth of provisions at the shop of any tradesman 
in the town. These tickets are given away on St. Thomas's day, 
and for the sake of order, the churchwardens have limited the 
recipients of the charity to those who have been born in the 
town, and who have attained the age of 60 years. By these 



422 HISTOllY OF CHELTENHAM. 

means upwards of 300 of our old inhabitants are annually 
relieved. The net income in 1861 was £54 lis. 3d. 

stansby's charity. 

The property bequeathed in this locality is for a variety of 
objects, and among the number the very desirable one of 
periodically apprenticing out boys, si poor children of honest 
day -laborers," residing within the limits of the parish of Chel- 
tenham. The first benefactor of this class, was the Eev. W. 
Stansby, a rector of the adjacent village of Badgworth, during 
the reign of Queen Anne; who left his estate situate in that 
parish in the hands of trustees, who were to divide the rentals 
and appropriate the proceeds in apprenticing out boys belonging 
to this and several of the adjoining parishes. The Eev. E. 
"Walker, by virtue of his office of incumbent, is the present 
acting trustee for Cheltenham, and according to the amount 
received from the property, which is £28 19s. per annum, 
awards it to different tradesmen, who undertake to bring up in 
a full knowledge of their trade and profession, the various 
youthful recipients of the charity entrusted to their care. The 
property bequeathed by the Eev. W . Stansby for the desirable 
object of apprenticing out the poor children of our locality, 
consisted of seven very fertile plots of land, situate in the 
parish of Badgworth. The income was £16 7s. up to 1842; 
the amount of the rental of the land in quantity, 1 7a. 2r. 29p. 
On the occasion of making the railway from Cheltenham to 
Gloucester, the principal field was required, which was sold to 
the company for £410 14s. 9d., and the proceeds invested in the 
purchase of £456 7s. 6d. Bank 3 per cent. Annuities. The 
residue of the lands were by virtue of an enclosure act, amalga- 
mated and let to J. E. Yiner, Esq., for £15 10s. a year. The divi- 
dend from the funded property amounts to £13 9s., making the 
annual income of the charity £28 19s., about six times more in 
amount than was realised for many years after the donor's 
decease. The Eev. W. Stansby executed his will on May 3rd, 
1704. 

Extract from the Eev. W. Stansby's will.—" That they, the 
said trustees, shall out of the yearly rents of the said trust 
estates, pay, or cause to be paid, to my said ti us tees of the parishes 
of Badgworth and Great SkurdiiigtoD* the sum of five pounds 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 423 

yearly for ever ; to my trustees of the parish of Churchdown, 
the sum of three pounds yearly for ever ; and all the residue 
and remainder of the yearly profits of the said trust estate, I give 
and bequeath to my trustees of Cheltenham, to be disposed of 
in manner following : — The several sums of £o and £3 and the 
sum annually remaining or accruing to Cheltenham, shall be 
expended or applied by my trustees in their respective parishes, 
each trustee acting within his own parish only, in the disposal 
of this bequest, with the assistance of the overseers of the poor, 
within two years farthest after the receipt thereof, to the binding 
out or apprenticing of one or more child or children of honest 
day-labourers, to some useful trade or occupation : but in no 
case, or at any time, to be given with or to the children of 
Usurers, Beer-sellers, or persons of wicked life or conversation, 
either known or reputed as such, nor to any of the family of 
Halling's, of Badgworth, except remarkable for goodness or 

honesty And if the said parish of Cheltenham 

shall misapply all or any of the said yearly revenue, or remainder 
of the profits cf the said trust estate, then the said parishes of 
Charlton Kings and Leckhampton shall, for the term of eight 
years, receive and enjoy the same, equally to be divided between 
them in as ample and beneficial a manner as Cheltenham might 
or could have done. And if any of the said parishes of Charlton, 
Stanton, Brockworth, or Leckhampton, shall at any time mis- 
apply their said yearly legacies accruing to them by the forfeiture 
of any of the said parishes of Cheltenham, Badgworth, or 
Churchdown, then in such case the parish or parishes so 
perverting the bequest, shall for that time lose the benefit 
thereof, and the several sums of money which they ought to have 
received, shall for the term of eight years then unexpired, be 
equally divided among the other parishes." 

LADY CAPEl/s CHARITY. 

The Eight Hon. Dorothy Lady Capel, widow of the Baron 
of Tewkesbury, by will, bearing date 1719, bequeathed the 
rentals of certain farm estates in Kent, for the support of twelve 
schools, in various parts of England, and in particular, of a 
Bovs' School at Cheltenham. The amount which annually 
accrued to this town from this Lady's bequest averaged from 
£35 to JB^O, and the sum was given to the master, for the time 



424 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

being, of i( the Old Charity School/' formerly carried on over 
the north porch of the Parish Church. Lady Capel's charity 
was anciently made highly benericial to Cheltenham by the 
addition of a sum of money, raised by annual subscriptions from 
several of the more wealthy inhabitants. This desirable plan 
fell into decay, and, as a consequence, the school became a mere 
nonentity ; and from its being carried on in a small room in the 
centre ot the town, and surrounded by a graveyard, the health 
of the children was endangered, and a strong objection was made 
to its continuance in so unsuitable a situation. In consequence 
of these facts being made known, through the medium of the 
Charity Committee's reports made in 1843-4, to the parish, 
public attention was directed to the school, and since then a 
number of annual subscribers have been obtained towards its 
better support, and a neat and commodious school-room, in the 
Gothic style, with spacious play-grounds attached, has been 
erected in Devonshire-street. It is of considerable value to the 
locality in which it is placed, not alone from the discipline and 
education freely dispensed, but from the absence of any other 
school around it in a neighbourhood occupied by the humbler 
classes. This is undoubtedly the oldest local Charity School, 
not classical. It first originated in an annual endowment, now 
amounting to £20, made by G. Townsend, Esq., in 1683. At 
the period it was founded, the bequest realized but £4 annually ; 
and being the only school of its kind, the matter was taken up 
by the inhabitants, and more especially as the increasing value 
of the donor's property would enhance the income. 

The Charity School was established in the year 1713, by 
voluntary contributions of the inhabitants of Cheltenham and 
its vicinity, and was opened on Nov. 14th of the same year. 
In that year the subscriptions amounted to £40. During the 
first sixteen years the school was held at a house in the High- 
street, at a guinea-a-year rent; but as from the year 1729 we 
find no more payments for rent, or receipts of Mr. Thos. Smith, 
the landlord, we may reasonably conclude that at this date it 
was removed to the Parish Church. 

Among its supporters were many families of distinction,— 
the Berkeley's, the De-la-Bere's, Sir John Howe's family, the 
Dutton's, Lady Capel's, .Norwood, Prinn, and many others. Sir 
John Howe's family contributed £3 annual subscriptions, besides 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 425 

a £23 donation the first year, and a £5 donation for many 
consecutive years. The De-la-Beres were unceasing friends and 
supporters of the school, from the commencement up to the year 
1810, when the name became extinct by the death of the Itev. 
John De-la-Bere, who was then treasurer. From this time we 
may date the falling off of the school ; for until the year 1818 
no treasurer was appointed, the number of subscribers dimin- 
ished, and the few who remained took but little interest in the 
affairs of the Charity. 

In 1723 the boys wore blue coats, yellow stockings, caps and 
bands ; they spun the wool, and knitted their own stockings, for 
which they received a trifle as pocket money. The cost of 
clothing a boy at that time was 15s. per annum. In the 
remembrance of several persons now living, the boys were all 
clothed alike, in pepper-and-salt coats, corduroy trowsers and 
stout shoes ; and about thirty years since a gentleman gave every 
boy a pair ot leather inexpressibles and strong shoes, at his own 
expense. 

The efforts thus made to educate the boys of the poor w T ere 
further aided by the endowment of Lady Capel, who died in 
1721. The first payment from Lady Capel' s estate was 
received by the school on May 12, 1722, and amounted to 
£7 10s. ; — it now amounts to £35 a-year. The first master 
was Peter Maurice \ his salary was £20 per annum. 

Extract from Lady Capel's will : — " In the name of God, 
Amen.— I, Dorothy Lady Capel, Baroness Dowager of Tewkes- 
bury, the relict of the liight Hon. Henry Lord Capel, Baron 
of Tewkesbury, deceased. As concerning the real and personal 
estates wherewith God hath blessed me, I dispose thereof as 
followeth, that is to say, Whereas I am seized of a good estate 
of inheritance in fee simple to me and my heirs of and in all 
that the farm and lands called Parry or Perry Court, with the 
closes and lands thereto belonging, situate and being in Preston, 
Feversham, Ospring, and Leddenham, in the county of Kent. 
And of and in all that messuage in the parish of St. Yedastus 
or Forsters in the City of London : of the manor of Eichmond 
in the county of Surrey, and in all that my capital messuage, &c, 
at Kew Green, and of and in divers other messuages, farms, and 
lands, held of the said manor. I am also seized according to 
the custom of the manor of Barnett, in the county of Hertiord, 



426 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

of and in all that messuage and lands thereto belonging, called 
Pricklesshill Farm, and of divers and customary land held of the 
said manor. I do hereby give, devise and bequeath, all that my 
said farms and lands, and all other my lands, &c, in the county 
of Kent, unto the Hon. S. Molyneux, Esq., principal secretary 
to his Eoyal Highnes Prince George of Wales, Sir Philip 
Jackson, of Eichmond, in the county of Surrey, John Lely, Esq., 
of Kew Green, and Christopher Applely, of the Middle temple, 
London, and their heirs to have and to hold for ever upon trust, 
shall yearly make up, state, and adjust in a book to be kept for 
that purpose, a just and true account of the said property, and 
subscribe their names thereunto, and shall afterwards divide 
the clear money yearly arising therefrom into twelve equal parts, 
to be applied for the support, use, and benefit of the said charity 
schools for ever, that is to say, the charity school for boys and 
girls, at Eichmond, in the county of Surrey; the charity school 
for boys at Mortiake, in the same county ; the charity school 
for boys at Brentford Butts, in the county of Middlesex ; the 
charity school for boys at Ealing, in the same county ; the charity 
school for boys at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, in the county 
of Gloucester ; the charity school at Eeversham, in the county 
of Kent ; the charity school at Haltwhistle, in the county of 
Northumberland ; the charity school for girls in the parish of 
St. Andrews, Holborn, (where I was born), the charity school 
at Chiswick, in the said county of Middlesex, and the chanty 
school at Hammersmith, in the parish of Eulham." 

Erom these extracts it will be seen that the donor has endowed 
eleven schools. The remaining twelfth part of the annual income 
arising from the estates, is to be alloted to the parish of Kew, 
in Surrey, either for the purpose of supporting a school, or 
apprenticing out children. The former is very judiciously 
chosen. In case any one of the schools should at any time be 
discontinued, those remaining are to derive the advantage 
equally ; and in case they should all of them fall to decay, then 
the income of the charity is to be appropriated for the support 
of six clergymen's widows. 

The estate from whence this Charity is derived having become 
dilapidated, repairs were needed of an extensive kind. To meet 
this expense, a sum is annually withdrawn from the income, 
which reduces the sum for Cheltenham to £15, After this is 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 427 

paid, the original sum will be available for the purposes of the 
Charity. 

COX'S CHAETTY. 

In 1727, Giles Cox, Esq., then churchwarden of this parish, 
bequeathed a perpetual annuity of £4 annually, for the purpose 
of either educating or apprenticing out a poor lad belonging to 
Cheltenham. The amount is payable by the lessee for the time 
being of a ground called " Picked Oakley," at Charlton Kings. 
The lessee is "W. J. Agg, Esq., of Hewletts, who, in order to 
carry out the excellent intention of the donor, and to prevent it 
from being frustrated by the change which time has effected in 
the rate of apprenticeship premiums, has allowed the sum to 
increase to £20. By adopting this plan, Mr. Agg is enabled to 
apprentice out a lad every five years, born in the parish of Chelt- 
enham, to some discreet person following a trade or handicraft 
in some other town or village ; as willed by Mr. Cox, 
June 13, 1727. 

Extract from Mr. Cox's will : — " All that enclosure of Pasture, 
called Picked Oakley, in the parish of Charlton Kings, adjoining 
to Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, by estimation five 
acres, upon trust, out of the rent, issues, and profits of the 
premises, pay for ever, to some man, not being Master or Usher 
of the Free School, who, in Cheltenham aforesaid, should teach 
boys, parishioners of Cheltenham, of the meaner sort, to read 
and write, after the death of the said Giles Cox, £4 yearly, or 
£4 yearly for ever, every year, in placing one boy, parishioner of 
Cheltenham aforesaid, an apprentice, not in the same parish, to 
some honest tradesman ; and the surplus of the said issues and 
profits, if any, to retain and have to their own use, for their 
trouble in the said trust.' 3 

miss "well's charity. 

Nearly opposite the entrance to the Presbyterian Church, in 
the High Street, and but a short distance Irom the angle of 
St. George's Street, is a spacious dwelling, ornamented on one 
side with a modern plate-glass front shop, in the window of 
which is displayed jewellery in all its varieties, and on the other 
side by a projecting sign, whose three pendant gilt balls denote 
the abode of an s; Uncle," who practises the mysterious rrt of 
passing people's property " up the spout " Until within the 



428 HISTOM OF CHELTENHAM. 

past quarter of a century, this building, then a private house, 
presented the most aristocratic frontage in that part of the town. 
It was elegantly furnished within, and its ground in the rear 
was so extensive as to reach to Eegent-place, and formed in fact 
the site upon which the east side of St. George's Street and the 
Wesleyan Chapel is erected. This large plot of land was most 
tastefully laid out as an ornamental garden. A summer house, 
on which the honeysuckle entwined, and a moss house, stood on 
an elevated mound on the extreme end, on either side of which, 
conspicuously placed on pedestals, were the statuary figures of 
Cupid and Pysche. In the year 1781, two lovers were often 
observed taking their walks amid these ornamental and winding 
paths, within sight of the God of Love, who stood with his bow 
and sheath full of arrows, as if ready to pierce the heart of the 
standers-by. The two personages presented a great contrast in 
their respective ages. The lady looked as if the shades of nearly 
three-score years had descended upon her brow, — the gentleman 
a gay and fashionable personage of about twenty-one ! But, 
notwithstanding this great discrepany in age, it was confidently 
announced that the couple were to be firmly united in the 
indissoluble bonds of matrimony. Rumour was rife as to the 
motives which prompted the suitor. The bride elect resided 
in her own house, and had other mansions to boot, including 
St. George's Square opposite, besides a very competent personal 
estate. The wedding was finally arranged, and the friends of 
both parties invited. The affair was likely to have been a gay 
one, and the invitations issued were numerous. But, how 
uncertain is the occurrence of things projected by poor humanity. 
The wedding did not take place, — the old lady lost her intended 
husband I 

" Ah, me ! for aught that ever I could read, 
Could ever hear by tale or history, 
The course of true love never did run smooth s 
But either it was different in blood ; 
Or else misgralted, in respect of years." 

But good always comes out of evil, and Miss Wells's loss was a 
perpetual gain to the poor of Cheltenham. " Can such things 
be," the reader will naturally ask ? We reply that we are 
relating a romance of real life, and that in consequeace of that 
broken match, twelve aged and infirm inhabitants of this town 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 429 

every year, in the month of March, receives a sum of money 
towards their support, as we shall hereafter show from official 
documents. These poor pensionei-3 will perpetuate to future 
ages the origin of this singular bequest. The affair is also 
recorded on a tablet-shaped painted board, elevated within the 
Parish Church, near the mary-gold window. The loss of her 
youthful suitor naturally shocked the nervous system of the 
intended bride, and she stood in need of the assistance of both 
spiritual and medical advisers. Among the former was a 
Dissenting Minister, who in order to soothe the affliction which 
the unhappy event had caused, offered* his hand and heart as an 
effectual remedy. The offer was accepted, and the deed was 
this time properly done, and Miss Wells was safely transformed 
into Mrs. Williams. We will now briefly relate the facts of this 
singular case, and from which it will be seen that " truth is 
stranger than fiction." 

The charity known as Miss Wells's takes its origin from the 
year 1782. It was originally only the interest arising from £1 70, 
but is now more than that sum. Half of the dividends is 
payable to six poor persons connected with the Cheltenham 
Parish Church, and the remaining half to six poor persons 
attending the services at Bethel Baptist Chapel. The amount 
is dispensed in the month of March by the trustees, the ministers 
of the respective places of worship before named, for the time 
being. The interest now amounts to £6 12s. annually, which 
is distributed by the churchwardens on behalf of the Rev. E. 
Walker, and by the Rev. J. Preeman, minister of Bethel Chapel. 

Miss Wells was for many years an inhabitant of this town, 
and resided in that portion of the High-street (No. 172) which 
now adjoins St. George's Street. This property was her own, 
as was also the greater portion of the site of the last-named 
street, and St. George's Square opposite. This extensive property 
attracted the attention of the " gay Lothario," and for a while 
Miss Wells had a most constant suitor. At length a marriage 
was finally decided upon, and the preliminaries were " signed 
and sealed." The day prior to the wedding morn arrived ; but 
" there is many a slip between the cup and the lip." — A resig- 
nation was sent in by the " gay Lothario,' 5 who contended that 
property was a poor compensation for the absence of youth and 
beauty ! This insult was repelled by Miss Wells, who instituted 



430 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

a law suit for a breach of promise of marriage. The trial took 
place at the Gloucester Assizes, held on August 30, 1782, and 
the jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff with £170 damages. 
This money was placed in the hands of a townsman and magis- 
trate, Dr. 'Newell, until September 20, 1815, when by will it 
was bequeathed for the object above described. Miss Wells 
afterwards married the Eev. H. H. Williams, formerly minister of 
Bethel Chapel, Cheltenham. She lived to the patriarchal age of S7, 
and died at her residence in this town, on Nov. 20, 1815. Thus 
twelve of our aged inhabitants are annually receiving benefit in 
consequence of a breach of promise of marriage 1 The sum thus 
bequeathed has now increased in value from a variety of causes. 
Shortly after the decease of the donor, her husband, the Eev.H.H. 
Williams, paid the sum of £170 to Dr. Newell, and after con- 
sultations on the subject between several of the parishioners, 
especially the Eev. C, Jervis, Dr. Newell, the holder of the bond, 
Mr. Seager, the acting executor, Mr. T. Gwinnett, solicitor, 
Eev. H. H. W 7 illiams, Mr. B. Vv T elIs, Mr. Fisher, &c, it was 
determined to vest the money in the navy 5 per cents., in the 
name of the Eev. C. Jervis and the Eev. H. H. Williams. The 
5 per cents, afterwards merged into the 4 per cents., and the 
sum was transferred also. It was finally fixed in the new 
31 p er cents., and at the time the last dividend was made it 
was worth £188 15s. 

Extract from Miss Wells's will. — " I direct and appoint that 
the sum of £170 be paid out of the said settled property, to 
discharge a bond given by me to Thomas Neweli, Esq., of 
Cheltenham ; which bond was given in order that, after my 
decease, the said sum of £170 should be placed out at interest, 
for the benefit of six poor men and six poor women residing at 
Cheltenham aforesaid, of the age of sixty years or upwards, one 
half of them belonging to the Baptist congregation there, and 
the other half belonging to the Established Church of England 
there. The interest to be annually distributed among them in 
the month of March, by or under the direction of the ministers 
of the respective places of worship. there." 

The original trustees in whose names this singular charity is 
vested are now deceased ; the last survivor, the Eev. H. H. 
Williams, died December 1, 1852, at the age of 87, and was 
interred in the W T esleyan Burial Ground, in St. George's Street, 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 431 

according to his request, as the place orce formed part of his 
own garden and the scene of the courtship which lead to the 
trial for a breach of promise, being the property of Miss Wells, 
the founder of the charity, whom he afterwards married. 

COLONEL OLLNEY'S BEQUESTS. 

Lieut. -Colonel J. H. OUney was a magistrate of the town, 
and resided at the mansion formerly occupied by J. C. Straford, 
Esq., at the Oambray entrance to the Bath Eoad. This 
benevolent gentleman died on January 16, 1836, and bequeathed 
a large amount to public charities. Among the number of his 
bequests was the sum of £8,000 to the cities and towns of 
Cheltenham, Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Winchcomb. This 
sum was, however, left with the proviso that each of the before- 
named places should purchase the ground on which the said 
Almshouses were to be erected within ten years after the testator's 
decease. The inhabitants of Cheltenham, in order therefore to 
secure to themselves the advantage of this munificent bequest, 
convened a Public Meeting at the Town Hall, on January 6, 1846, 
within ten days only of the time required by the donor's will. 
It should, however, be mentioned that the delay was not 
occasioned by any reluctance on the part of the town to 
contribute towards the purchase of the land, but solely on account 
of a protracted and vexatious law T -suit which was pending in 
the Irish Court of Chancery, and which left it doubtful whether 
the amount bequeathed could be paid out of the estate. As 
soon as the law-suit took a favourable turn, and the application 
of the charity was more probable, the meeting in question was 
called, and presided over by the Rev. P. Close. A subscription 
was opened, a sufficient sum was raised, and the ground pur- 
chased and conveyed to trustees. The site is in the Tewkesbury 
Eoad, contiguous to St. Peter's Church — a healthy spot, and 
well calculated for the erection of an Almshouse. 

The sum left by Colonel Ollney was part of a mortgage of 
£36,000 secured by bond upon the estates of Lord Aldborough, 
in Ireland. Under the Sequestered Estates' Act the property 
was sold, and the proceeds of the sale realized more than was 
anticipated from the depressed value of Irish lands. The 
executors applied in 1849 to the Rolls Court for pow T er to carry 
out the intentions of the donor. The case was referred by the 



432 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Master, and in two years afterwards it was reported that the 
bequest was open to legal objection from its interfering with the 
Statute of Mortmain. The judgment was given with this saving 
point, that the case should be taken to a superior court of law 
for final decision. It is to be hoped that the legal proceedings 
will not be further protracted, for the charity, when carried out, 
will be a boon to many an aged inhabitant, and the ground 
having been secured, and the bequest ready for application, it 
only waits a favourable construction$from a court of law to call 
into existence " Ollney's Almshouses." 

Extract from Colonel Ollney's will. — " The following is a 
scheme by which I desire all the Almshouses intended to be 
founded by me to be regulated, and which are to be called 
c Ollney's Almshouses.' As I have directed the sum of £8,000 
to be set apart for each of the four sets of Almshouses as soon 
as a proper site has been presented for that purpose. The 
building should consist of one general sitting room or hall, for 
the concurrence of the inmates to take their meals and sit in. 
The hall to contain two fire-places, for the convenience of the 
poor inmates — one for the men, the other for the women ; and 
on one side of the hall a kitchen is to be erected, and on the 
other a decent parlour, with one fire-place, for the convenience 
of their friends. And I desire that over these rooms for general 
use, should be placed the bedrooms of the poor inmates, — nine 
on each side ; of which I intend ten to be for the poor men, 
and eight for the poor women, — each charity altogether con- 
sisting of eighteen persons. I desire that £100 may be expended 
in furnishing each Almshouse, and, as near as the nature of 
circumstances will admit, in the following manner : — Fireirons 
and fenders for each of the rooms, of common use; a table, 
forms, two chairs, and the usual apparatus for cooking for the 
kitchen, and likewise one iron bedstead, two chairs, one table, 
fireirons, and a fender for each of the bed-rooms. I wish to 
allow a sufficient fund out of the £8,000 to be set apart to 
produce £10 annually, to be laid out in repairs. I desire that 
six shillings a week should be paid to each of the poor men, and 
four shillings a week to each of the poor women ; and I intend 
the sum of thirty-six shillings annually to be expended in pro- 
viding each of the poor men a coarse blue cloth coat and 
waistcoat, and one pair of corduroy breeches ; and for each of 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 433 

the poor women, annually, the sum of thirty shillings, to be 
expended in providing each of them with a coarse blue stuff 
gown, petticoat and bonnet. And I wish the worthiest and 
most deserving of each to be selected as superintendent Master 
and Matron, to whom I give an additional sum of three 
shillings per week to the Master, and two shillings and sixpence 
to the Matron. I desire that no person who has within seven 
years received parochial assistance be admitted into such Alms- 
house. In every other respect I give the full power of selection 
to the Mayor and Corporation, or governing body of the place 
in which such Almshouse is to be founded. And I desire that 
there shall be a written recommendation as to character in the 
first instance, procured by any candidate for admission from the 
clergyman of the parish of such candidate. Those only to be 
admissible who have been upwards of seven years inhabitants 
of the towns in which the said charities are to be founded, and 
who are of the age of fifty-six years at the least. I direct that 
the poor inmates shall attend divine service twice on every 
Sunday. And I constitute the Mayor and Corporation, or other 
governing body of such place in which my charity is established, 
to be sole visitors, and to have full power to expel any person 
for immoral or other improper conduct, or drunkenness." 

He also bequeathed to the Treasurer of the Gloucester 
Infirmary, £1000, and to the School of Industry at Chelt- 
enham, £500. 

uequhart's chakity. 

The most recent benefactor to the publicly endowed charities is 
J. H.Urquhart, Esq., who has left a portion of his personal property 
for the support of the poor during the winter period of the year. 

Extract from the will of Jnes. Harvey Urquhart, Esq., late 
of Seven Oakes, Kent, dated July 21, 1841, and proved at 
Doctors' Commons, June 26, 1850. The Testator died May 2, 
1850. — " I direct my Executrix and Executor heretofore named 
as soon as convenient after my decease to purchase and invest 
in their joint names, £3,000 Stock, in 3J per cent. Eeduced Bank 
Annuities, out of such part only of my personal estate and 
effects as by law is capable of being devoted by the will to 
charitable purposes, and my will is that my said executrix and 
executor, and the survivors of them upon the trust following, 
that is to say, to pay the interest, dividends, and annual income 



434 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

thereof, unto, or permit the same to be received by my said wife 
and her assigns during her natural life, and from and alter her 
decease, upon trust, that they, my said trustees for the time 
being, do and shall stand and be possessed of the sum of £1,000, 
(being one third part of the said stock upon trust,) to pay and 
apply the dividends and interest, or annual income thereof, to 
the guardians, trustees, or other officers belonging to the alms- 
houses of Seven Oakes, aforesaid, to be by them applied to the 
said charity. And I direct that the receipt of any one of the 
said guardians or trustees, for the time bein^, of the said 
charitable institution, shall be deemed a sufficient discharge for 
iny said trustees for the same dividends or annual income. 
And £1000, being one other third part of the said 3^ per cent. 
Bank Annuities, upon trust, that they my said trustees do and 
shall pay the interest, annual income, and dividends of the said 
mentioned sum of JB1000 unto the churchwardens for the time 
being of the parish of Cheltenham aforesaid, to be by them 
from time to time laid out in the providing of clothing and fuel, 
which shall be by them distributed annually, at Christmas, 
amongst ten poor families, — to be selected by the said church- 
wardens, — inhabiting the said parish of Cheltenham, and who 
shall not have received parochial relief, or relief from any poor- 
law union during the preceding year." 

In a correspondence which the Churchwardens have had 
during the year 1861 with the Charity Commissioners, enquiry 
was made as to the actual sum invested under the provisions of 
the Will of the late J. H. Urquhart, Lsq., and on applying to 
Messrs. Harris and Lewis, of Lincoln's Inn, solicitors to the 
Trut*t, the Churchwardens received the following statement : — 

"The legacy of £1000 was a legacy of new 3 per cents, not of cash. To pay 
the legacy of £93 13s. 8j„ and the costs of the petition in Chancery, £27 15s. 8d., 
the sum of £132 0s. 7d. was sold out by order of the Court, leaving- £667 19s. 6d, 
invested." 

THE BAPTIST CHARITIES. 
Bequests to poor professors of the Baptist persuasion, and 
for the general expenses of Bethel Chapel, have been left by 
local members of the sect, at various periods, from the first 
formation of the congregation. The following are enumerated 
in the Charity Commissioners* Beport, made in 1824, being the 
iast official document relative to the subject. 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 



435 



darke's charity. 
John Darke, Esq., of Prestbury, gave to the poor of the 
congregation, in 1783, the sum of £60. This legacy was 
subject to some prior interest, which terminated in 1791, when 
the sum was invested in the funds, and produced £1 19s. 6d. 
annually. The executor of Mr. Darke added to the bequest, 
and thus was founded Ballinger's Charity. 

ashmead's charity. 

By Will dated Dec. 7, 1742, John Ashmead, Esq., left his 
estate " towards the relief of such poor persons of the con- 
gregation of Protestant dissenters commonly called Baptists, 
meeting for Divine worship in Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, as 
to them, the said trustees, shall seem most convenient." In 
1753 a deed was executed, by which Cheltenham was rendered 
independent of Tewkesbury, and the recipients were to receive 
the bequest " from the trustees and principal members of the 
Baptist Church constituted at Cheltenham. " To render this 
the more secure, a regular trust deed of Bethel Chapel was 
executed Oct. 1, 1767, which has been regularly renewed when 
the trustees are reduced by death to the number of two. The 
ennual income of Mr. Ashmead's estate produces £86 4s. 6d. t 
besides fines payable every twenty years, from £10 to £150, 
according to the nature of the property, which is mostly land, 
leased for building purposes for different periods, similar to that 
left for the endowment of Pate's Grammar School. The property 
is as follows : — 



Term of 

Lease from 

1805. 


Property where Situate. 


Annual 
Kent. 


Fines payable 

every twenty 

years. 


Years. 
99 
99 
99 


House— Chapel Street 

Grove's Wagon Warehouse 

Houses— Chapel Street 


& s. 

1 1 
4, 4 

15 15 
4 4 
6 6 

2 2 
1 1 

50 

1 11 


d. 



U 






6 


& 

10 

20 

150 


99 
99 


Chapel House aud Ground 

The Castle, Chapel Street 


40 
60 


99 


House— Chapel Street 


20 


99 


House — Ambrose Sireet 


10 


from 1806. 
41 


Red Lion Inn 


20 


Yearly 
teuant 


House — New Street 





436 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

balltnger's CHARITY. 
By Will, dated May 27, 1805, John Ballinger, Esq., thus 
bequeathed : — ki I give and devise the sura of £49 lis. 4d. in 
the 4 per cents. Bank Stock, which stands in my name, being 
what was purchased with a legacy of £50 left to the poor of 
the Baptist congregation at Cheltenham, by Mr. John Darke, 
of Prestbury, and as much of my own money as will purchase 
in the same bank stock what will make with that sum JB100 
stock, so that the poor may have £4 yearly dividend among 
them, whereas, now they have but d£l 19s 6d., and that the 
profits or dividends arising therefrom be divided and given to 
the poor of the said Baptist congregation at Cheltenham, on 
the 14th February, year by year, and that within a fortnight 
after the distribution of the same, the managers of the said 
charity do lay in some convenient part of the meeting house, 
and there to remain for two Lord's Days at least, an account, 
how and to whom the money was disposed of." 

Lloyd's charity. 

Mrs. Sarah Lloyd, widow, of Cheltenham, by Will dated 
October 22, 1808, bequeathed "upon trust, to pay unto the 
minister for the time being, of the religious society or congre- 
gation of Protestant Dissenters in Cheltenham, called Baptists, 
the sum of £100 in trust, and for the general purposes of the 
said society." 

ransford's charity. 

Edward Hansford, Esq., of Bristol, by Will, dated August 20, 
1313, gave £400, "and the dividends, interest, and profits 
thereof from time to time, paid to the managers, deacons or 
ministers of the Baptist interest at Cheltenham, towards the 
support of that interest, but so long only as they profess to 
believe and preach the particular doctrines now professed by 
them. But in case the said Baptist interest should decline to 
preach and believe such doctrines, the said dividend arising from 
the said £400, shall be paid and applied to the managers, 
deacons or ministers of the Baptist Chapel at Tewkesbury, if 
they shall continue in the faith they now profess. But in case 
at any time after the said Cheltenham interest shall decline, and 
return to and believe the doctrine they now profess as Particular 
Baptists, then I give and direct the treasurer and trustees of the 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 437 

Bristol Baptist Fund Society in the City of Bristol, to pay, 
apply and dispose of the same dividends to and for the support 
and uses of the said Baptist interest at Cheltenham again." 

WELLS 5 CHARITY. 

In 1815, Miss Wells left half of the interest of £170 to be 
annually distributed among six of the poor attendants of 
Bethel 'Chapel. 



BEQUESTS TO CHELTENHAM CHAPEL. 

By Will, bearing date Jan. 15, 1815, Benjamin Friend, Esq., 
a resident of the town, bequeathed the interest arising from the 
sum of £200 towards the support of the Minister, for the time 
being, of Cheltenham Chapel. Annexed is a copy of Mr. 
Friend's will : — " I give and bequeath to the Rev. John Brown, 
Minister of the New Chapel, Cheltenham, the sum of two 
hundred pounds. I give and bequeath unto the trustees for the 
time being of the said Chapel, the sum of two hundred pounds. 
And I declare that the trustees for the time being of the New 
Chapel at Cheltenham aforesaid, shall stand possessed of the 
said sum of two hundred pounds hereinbefore bequeathed to 
them, upon trust to place out and invest the same in or upon 
Government, real or other good security, at interest, and to pay 
the dividends, interests, proceeds thereof, when and as often as 
the same becomes due, and be received, unto the said John 
Brown, so long as he shall continue minister of the said Chapel, 
and to the future pulpit minister of the said Chapel for ever." 

In 1837, H. Bromfield, Esq., of this, town, also bequeathed 
the sum of two hundred pounds to the trustees of Cheltenham 
Chapel, " for producing an annuity for the resident minister for 
the time being." The following is an extract from the agree- 
ment made between the Chapel trustees, the minister, and t».e 
executors of the donor: — "Purchasing stock in the names of 
four of the trustees, who also execute a declaration of trust 
reciting the bequest, and declaring that they stand possessed of 
the stock, and that they will pay to or permit the resident 
minister to receive the dividends as they become due. And that 
on the death of two such trustees, the two surviving shall transfer 
the stock into the names of two other trustees with them- 



488 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

selves, and so as often as two shall die. Signed, Jno. Barfield, 
Jan. 24, 1838." " I hereby engage as regards the investment 
of the money by the trustees, to abide by the decisiun of Mr. 
P. Barfield. Signed, John Brown." 

OTHER EXISTING CHARITIES. 

Mrs, Anne Wicks died at Regent-street, Cheltenham, on June 
17, 1841. Her personal estate was estimated at £80,000, and 
her real estate at £9,000. Amongst the number of places to 
which she bequeathed portions of her property was Frampton- 
on-Severn, in this county — the village in which she was born. 
She willed to Frampton Church £1,000, for a communion plate; 
£50 for a cloth to the communion table ; £100 to rail in the 
churchyard ; £500 for the purpose of generally improving and 
enlarging the church; £100 to the vicar; and £500 for a 
monument to be erected to her memory. The interest of her 
entire Bank Stock she desired to be distributed annually to the 
poor of Frampton on her birth-day — April 23. 

Miss Jane Cook, an old inhabitant of the town, who died in 
1851, gave to the Church Missionary Society £5,000 ; the five 
acres of ground on which the Church of England Training 
College is erected ; ground for the establishment of a Boy's 
Orphan Asylumn ; £2,600 to the London Society for promoting 
Christianity among the Jews ; Irish Church Missions, £200 and 
£60 annually to the District Churches. The extent of this 
lady's bequests may be inferred from the following inscription 
on a monument erected to her memory in St. Peter's Church, to 
which she was also a benefactress : — "In Memory of Miss Jane 
Cook, who died February 11th, 1851, aged 75 years. Being 
anxious to promote the glory of God, she devoted her Property 
to the dissemination of the Holy Scriptures both at home and 
abroad, and to the support of Missions among the heathen, as 
well as to the Society for promoting Christianity among the 
Jews. She contributed largely towards the erection of a Church 
on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, for Divine Worship according to 
the Eitual of the United Church of England and Ireland, where 
salvation through * Jesus of Nazareth ' might be proclaimed to 
1 the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' She was also a liberal 
Benefactress to this Church and Parish, and ever adopted the 
language of the Psalmist — c Kot unto us, O Lord, not unto us, 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 



439 



but unto Thv name p;ive the praise, for Thy loving mercv and 
for Thy truth's sake.' " 

Miss Cook died worth £27,069 Bank Stock, and £34,788 
3^ per cents, besides shares in many public companies, and a 
large real estate. Major Barrett, in 1838, bequeathed £450 to 
the Gloucester Infirmary. In 1842, Mrs. Sarah Bate left by 
will £500 to the Female Orphan Asylum, in Winchcomb 
Street. In 184 9, George Richards, Esq., of the Promenade, 
bequeathed £10,000 to be divided among various local benevo- 
leut institutions. The late Mrs. Catherine Ball, of Cheltenham, 
widow, who died on the 26th of January, 1860, besides her 
estates in Ireland, was possessed af personality in England 
valued at £20,000. The following were her charitable bequests : 
to the poor of Drumholmg, Ireland, £100; Irish Church 
Missions, £100; Irish Church Education, £100; Reformation 
Society, £100 ; Scripture Readers, Ireland, £100 ; British and 
Foreign Bible Society, £100 ; Society for distributing and 
Teaching the Bible in the Irish language, £100; Cheltenham 
Branch Church Missionary and Pastoral Aid, £100 each ; 
Cheltenham Hospital, £50 ; Female Refuge, Cheltenham, £50; 
to the ministers of St. Paul's, St. Peter's, and other Churches 
in Cheltenham for the poor, £50 for each district. Leaving 
£300 for the erection of almshouses for poor widows of St. 
Paul's, Cheltenham, and £300 for the endowment thereof. To 
a Scripture-reader she has left a freehold house, and to the widow 
of another Scripture-reader, £100. 

THE ENDOWED CHARITIES OF CHELTENHAM. 



Founders. 


When 
Foun- 
ded 


For what Purpose. 


Present 
Annual 
Income. 


R. Pate, Esq., M.P., 
J. Watwyn, E-q. 
T. George, Esq. 

W. Perry, Esq. 
J. Norton, E-q. 
A. Parker, E-q. 
T.F. Emily, E^q. 
Ihe Churchwardeus. 


1578 
1627 
1620 

1632 
1637 
164-2 I 
1650 
1667 

V 

1683 


Free Grammar School & Alms Houses 
Annually to the Poor 


£ s. d. 

1700 

2 10 


Annually to the Poor and Minister . 

These bequests, v\itli others now lost, 
were amalgamated by the then 
Churchwardens, in the reign of 
Charles 11, and the " Poor's 
Grounds" purchased with the 
amount, in 1667. 

Annually to the Poor on St. Thomas' 
dav 


6 8 

54. 11 3 
50 


G. Townsend, Esq. 


A Scholar from Pate's School to 
Pembroke College 



440 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



Founders. 


tthen 
Foun- 
ded. 


For what purpose. 


Present 
Annual 
I- come. 


G. Townsend, Esq. 

Ditto 
Rev. W. Stansby. 
Lady Capel. 
G. Cox, Esq. 
Miss Wells. 
Date of lease at Hatherly 

Col. Ollney. 

J. H. Urquhart, Esq. 

J. Ashmead, Esq. 
Darke and Ballinger. 
Mrs. Lloyd. 

E. Ransford, Esq. 

B„ Friend, Esq. 
H. Bromfield, Esq. 


1704 
1719 

1727 
1782 
1794 

1836 

1850 

1742 

1805 
1808 

1813 

1815 
1837 


Annually apprenticing a boy „ . . 
Endowing Lady Capel's School . . 
Annually apprenticing a boy . . . 

Free School for boys 

Annually apprenticing a boy . . . 

Annually to the poor 

Inmates of Fate's Alms House . 

Alms Houses 

Annually to the poor at Christmas . 

Poor of Bethel Baptist Chapel . 

Ditto 

Minister and General Purposes of do. 

Manager, Deacon, Minister of do 

Minister of Cheltenham Chapel . . 
Ditto 


£ s. d. 

15 

20 

28 19 10 

15 

4 

6 12 

12 

Interest of 

£8,000 

Interest of 

£1,000 

86 4 

3 10 

2 10 6 

Iutereat of 

£400 
Interest of 

£200 
Ditto 









The number of public charities and benevolent institutions in 
the town are truly remarkable. From so many that reflect 
honour and credit to these benevolent supporters wc select for 
description and illustration, the General Hospital, and Female 
Orphan Asylum. 

THE HOSPITAL. 

TheCheltenham General Hospital and Dispensary is judiciously 
located in a most healthy spot in Sandford fields. It was erected 
by voluntary contributions, and cost nearly £9,000. The first 
stone of this structure was laid January 25, 1848, by the Right 
Hon. Lord Dunally. It is a noble building, designed in the 
Classic style by Mr. D. J. Humphris, and its external appearance 
and internal arrangements are admirably adapted for the purposes 
intended. On the ground floor, the front entrance is beneath a 
portico supported by four fluted Ionic columns, and approached 
by nine steps. The entrance hall is of noble dimensions, 
24ft 10 by 16ft. It is separated from the corridor by two 
pillars. The Board Room is 24ft by 16ft. In each wing there 
is a ward 42ft by 2ift 6 inches and 14ft high. In the front of 
the east wing is the museum, 33ft by 21ft. In each of the front 
wings is a ward 33it by 2ift. At the back of the centre, is a 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES 441 

place for three cisterns, one filled with 800 gallons of hot 
water, another with 300 gallons of hill water, and a third 
filled, by means of a force pump, with 3,000 gallons of 
water. The whole of the apartments are supplied with gas 
lights, and hot and cold water. The number of gas lamps in 
the house is 35, and the meter is of sufficient size to register 
one million feet of gas. The gardens around the Hospital are 
two acres in extent. In a work by Sir George Baltinghall, 
M.D.,E.R.S.tf., Regius Professor of Military Surgery in the 
University of Edinburgh, and Consulting Surgeon to the Royal 
Infirmary, after stating that his observations had extended to 
numerous hospitals in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as to a 
recent examination of the principal establishments of the kind 
in the United Kingdom, he says — " In adverting to the exterior 
form or ground plan of larger Hospitals, one very commonly 
adopted is that of a body with wings projecting from either 
extremity, somewhat in the form of the letter |— | . To this there 
seems to be no reasonable objection. It answers in a great 
measure the important desideratum of giving the air free access 
to the Building " (which he had previously shewn was not 
the case when the plan was quadrangular.) * It is a form to be 
observed in some of the best Hospitals in the country, and was 
successfully adopted in several of the Military or Barrack 
Hospitals erected during the war. Of this form of Hospital I 
have selected tor publication, from numerous others in my 
possession, a sketch of the General Hospital at Cheltenham, and 
this for two reasons. Eirst, because it is one of the neatest, 
most commodious, and compact little Hospitals with which I 
am acquainted ; and, secondly, because I consider it a good 
example of how much may be done in the way of Hospital 
Building with a very moderate sum. The whole has, it appears, 
been erected for £7,695, including an extensive system of 
drainage, and the front wall and gates of the large enclosure 
around it. This building I consider highly creditable to the 
Architect, Mr. Hu i .phris." The total cost was £8, 95. The 
wings have separate staircases; that on the west side is appro- 
priated to males, that on the east to females, the centre of the 
house being occupied by the officers of the establishment. The 
bath-rooms are convenient, with a constant supply of hot and 
cold water, both of which requisites in the sick-room are also 



442 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

laid on in the different wards. The architect, Mr. D. .T. 
Humphris, provided at his own cost " the lifts," by which 
provisions and other necessaries are carried by machinery from 
the basement to the upper floors. 

The Establishment of a General Hospital in the town is of 
modern origin, and was effected on May 3, 18 i3. On March 
3, of that year, a Vestry Meeting was convened and adjourned 
to the Assembly Eooms, to March 9 following. At these 
meetings it was unanimously resolved to found a Dispensary. 
At the first, the Eev. Dr. Foulkes, the incumbent, presided, and 
at the latter, Lord Ashtown. Drs. Jameson and Parry were the 
first Physicians, and Messrs. Seager, and Newell, the first 
Surgeons. The benevolent undertaking proved a great boon ; a 
Casualty Ward was afterwards added, and in 1839, the institu- 
tion became a General Hospital. Progress has marked its career 
from the first; the premises used, having been too small for the 
number of patients, it was successively removed to Winchomb- 
street, North-street, the late " Free Press Office," the Female 
Training School, High Street, until ultimately the noble building 
now termed " The General Hospital," was erected. Thus, from 
the day of its foundation, prosperity has marked its career. Its 
advantages have been duly appreciated by the more affluent, as 
the following list of benefactors strikingly manifests. On the 
passing of the Cheltenham and Oxford Eailway Act, that 
Company paid as compensation, the sum of £6,117 12s. 6d. 
for the premises formerly used as the Hospital in the High- 
street, it being proposed that the line should pass through them. 
This event led to the erection of the new edifice. 

According to the report issued in 1861, £1,000 had been 
anonymously contributed by a lady towards erecting the chapel, 
the subscriptions for the year amounted to £1,375 1 6s. 6d., the 
donations to £412, and the congregational collections to £466, 
the legacies to £259, dividends, &c, £214. In-patients. 547 ; 
Out-patients, 4,579. 

From this it will be seen that the total average annual income 
is between two and three thousand pounds, while upwards of 
500 In-patients are received and nearly 5,000 Out-patients, in 
addition to advice and medicines given at the Branch Dispensary 
in Oxford Passage, near the High Street. A most exquisite work 
of art is to be seen in the Hospital. It is a statuary representation 



THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 



448 



of the "Good Samaritan," and was erected at a cost of £600, 
which was raised mainly through the exertion of a deceased medical 
gentleman, C. Fowler, Esq. ; it is the work of a Manchester 
artist. 

DONATIONS TO THE HOSPITAL. 

Legacies of Fifty Pounds and upwards, bequeathed since the 
establishment of the Institution. 

£ s. d. 

John Richards, Esq 100 

Mrs. Vaillant 50 

Miss Gillman 110 3 

William Tidd, Esq 50 

Mrs. Houghton 90 

Mrs. Beaty 500 14 3 

A. Maklew, Esq 200 

Georee Richards, Esq 500 

Mrs. Jane Gubbs, 200 

Mrs. J. Parmer 50 

Miss DeLancy 98 11 



Executors of the late C. 

Mathiesoo, Esq 

T Toralin8, (oDe moiety) 

Mrs Lightburn . 

P. Boissier, Esq 

H. Broomfield, Esq 

Major Barrett 

Lady Drake 

Mrs. Bate 

Hon. Caroline Flower 

Miss Collinson 

John Bailey, Esq 



100 





u. 



180 


8 





111 





4 


50 








90 








450 








207 12 10 


500 








50 








177 


1 


6 


50 









Benefactors of Fifty Pounds and upicards. 



£ s. d. 

S.Anderson, Esq 145 10 

M^jor Askew 52 10 

A Friend per Major Askew 50 

Hun.CravenBerkeley,M.P, 52 10 

Cnnries Tufton Blick, Esq. 110 

Sir William Burdett, Bart. 52 10 

Robert Capper, Esq 1050 

Mrs. Capper 621 

Rev. D. Capper :.. 100 

Captain Carpenter, R.N. 753 10 

Captain Carr 52 10 

Rev. Francis Close 52 10 

J. Clutterbuck, Esq 75 

MissCook 50 

Rev. R. Duke 52 10 

R. Ellison, Esq 50 

Earl Fitzhardmge 151 5 

George Preemau, Esq 50 

Thomas Fulljames, Esq.... 52 10 6 

John Gardner, Esq 200 

Mrs. John Gardner 55 5 

Samuel Gist Gist, Esq. ... ?0 

The Dakeuf Gloucester... 104 10 

W. Penu Gi-kell, Esq. ... 105 

Rev. F. D. Gilby 52 10 

C. L. Harford, Esq 52 10 



Rev. T. Harward 

Adraham Hatherell, Esq. 

Rev. Thomas F. Henney 

W. H. Henney, Esq 

Thomas Henney, Esq 

Mrs. Henney 

Miss Hincks [ 

E. Holland, Esq 

Will am Inglediw, Esq.... 

Francis Jerrard, Esq 

Thomas Jones, Esq 

Mrs. Morgan Hill 

John Mortlock, Esq. ...... 

Thomas Parr, Esq 

Captain Parr 

Thomas Pilkinj:ton, Esq. 

Messrs. Pitt and o 

Proprietors of Berkshire & 
Gloucestershire Provin- 
cial Assurance Company 

R. A. Rosenhagen, Esq. . 
Hon. Lord de Saumarez... 

Hon. Lord Sherborne 

R C. Cherwood, E?q 

Mrs, Henry Thompson ... 
Henry Norwood Trye, Esq 



£ s. 


d. 


50 





50 





52 10 





52 10 





100 





210 





100 





70 





110 10 





52 10 





52 10 





121 





262 10 





50 





50 





52 10 





105 





107 17 


8 


73 10 





72 15 





105 





52 10 





50 





52 10 






444 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



£ s, 

John Turner, Esq 75 10 

Rev, Dr. Warneford .100 

Joseph Wilkinson, Esq. ... 84? 

G.E.Williams, Esq 52 10 

Earl Fitzhardinge, costs re- 
ceived for a libel from <"he 
proprietor of the Chelt- 
enham Chronicle 50 

S. Anderson, Esq., House 

in Townsend-street, and 500 

Mrs. Colonel Lenuon 250 

Mrs. Crew 500 

G. Harvey, Esq 52 10 

R. K.Lumb,Esq. 50 

W. E. Lawrence, Esq 100 



£ s. d. 

John Walker, Esq 55 

Mrs. Shipley 50 

Miss Velley 100 

J. Beman, Esq 55 

Rev. F. D.Gilby 50 

T. J. Welles, Esq. (part of 

legacy) 100 

Miss Baron 50 

T. Champion Esq 52 10 

T. Barker, Esq 100 

Mrs. Capper, 1000 

Mrs. General Campbell... 55 

J. Wilkinson 300 

Mrs. Masin 500 

W.S 150 



FEMALE ORPHAN ASYLUM. 

The patronage of Eoyalty has not been . confined to the 
Mineral Waters of the place, but has extended itself to benevo- 
lent objects. The Female Orphan Asylum was founded by the 
kindly aid and influencee of Queen Charlotte in 1806. This 
asylum clothes, boards, and educates upwards of forty children 
who are trained to various trades suitable to their taste and 
abilities. Orphans, and half-orphans, are alike eligible for election, 
at the age of eight, and remain until they are fifteen years of 
age. The best testimony to the usefulness of the Institution is 
to be found in the fact that hundreds of good domestic servants 
and others moving in a higher sphere of life, have received their 
instruction at the Asylum. 

The present elegant and commodious Gothic edifice in 
Winchcomb Street, was erected for the use of the orphans in 
1833. There have been several benefactions to this excellent 
Institution by residents and friends. In 1836, Colonel Ollney 
bequeathed £500, and in 1845, Mrs. Sarah Bate bequeathed 
£500. The income, which is derivable from voluntary contribu- 
tions, avarages about £600 annually. Specimens of the Orphans' 
skilful needlework was, in 1842, presented to Her Majesty 
Queen Victoria, who was so pleased with the present, as to 
become one of the patrons oi the Asylum. T. Barber, Esq., 
the Secretary, who died in I860, bequeathed a legacy ot £3t>0. 
The total annual income, as reported 6 in January, 1861, was 
£1,001 2s. 



MODERN CHURCHES. 445 



CHAPTER XXII. 

iftofcern ^tjuvcfres* 

THE inhabitants of Cheltenham have reason to congratulate 
themselves on the number of Caurches, and the variety 
and order of architecture which they 'severally display. The 
erection of eleven new churches in a space of thirty years, at 
once shows the very rapid increase which has taken place in the 
number of inhabitants We shall here describe these edifices 
in the order of date at which the congregations were founded. 

TRINITY CHURCH. 

The rapid increase of the population of the town made it 
expedient to find additional church accommodation. Application 
was made to Government for the loan of £4,000, and to the 
trustees of the rectory for the advancement of a like sum, towards 
the erection of a new church. The first- mentioned sum was, 
however, never obtained ; and as a consequence the undertaking 
was for a long time delayed. In this crisis, Lord Sherborne, 
the then Lord of the Manor, nobly came forward, and advanced 
the required sum, secured upon the rental of a certain number 
of pews. The interest of his lordship was purchased by 
J. A. Gardner, Esq., the present Lord of the Manor. This, 
the first modern church erected in the town, was commenced in 
1820; and on April 11, 1823, the ceremony of consecration 
was performed by the Hon. Dr. Hyder, then Bishop of Gloucester, 
and afterwards of Coventry and Lichfield. The undertaking 
was accomplished at an expense of £10,000, from a design by 
Mr. Underwood. The edifice, which is dedicated to the Holy 
Trinity, is 74 feet in length, 51 feet in breadth, and will seat 
900 persons. Its location was judicious, being placed at the 
top of Portland Street, adjoining the Pittville estate, and where 
no other place of worship was near. It is a most substantial 
building of stone, in the Gothic style, and over the principal 
entrance is a square tower, surmounted by eight light pinnacles. 



446 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The interior is divided into three aisles and two spacious galleries. 
The organ was erected by Mr. Hale, of Promenade House. The 
space beneath the church, as well as the ground around, have 
been used as a place of interment, and a large number of 
influential residents and visitors have been buried therein, — the 
walls of the edifice within and the space without being nearly 
covered with memorials of the dead. The sum of £500 having 
been raised by the sale of the vaults, was invested in government 
security as a repair fund. The income of the minister is secured 
by the deed of consecration upon the rents of certain pev*s. 
The Rev. J. Browne, LL.B., the late respected minister, was 
presented with a residence called "The Hayes," delightfully 
situate in Pittville Circus, by the congregation of this church, 
as a testimonial of their respect and esteem. He died in 1857, 
and was deservedly honoured with a public funeral. A monument 
to his memory was erected, by subscription, and placed in front 
of the church, where he had so successfully and faithfully 
ministered the greater period of his life. 

This church, like the parent edifice, has always been fully 
attended. It is quite inadequate in size to meet the requirements 
of the present numerous flock that assembles to worship, and 
which has increased in numbers since the settlement of the Rev. 
G. Calthrop, M.A., the successor to Mr. Browne. The Very Eev. 
the Dean of Carlisle, prior to his being presented with the 
incumbency of the parish, was curate at this church. The 
congregation support a day school, and many benevolent insti- 
tutions connected with missionary and temperance movements. 
According to published statements, £1200 per annum have been 
subscribed by the attendants of Trinity Church for charitable 
objects. The tabular statement of the sums collected for the 
year ending January 1861, show £1227 3s. 6£d. 

" The Rev. John Browne was born at Riverstown, county of 
Cork, the family seat. He was educated at Eton, and proceeded 
to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a Fellow Com- 
moner, and took his degree. For nine years he was curate of 
Castle Bromwich, Warwickshire, and after leaving it, came to 
Cheltenham, when he was appointed to Trinity Church, where he 
remained until the time of his decease* His congregation some 
years ago presented him with £1600, collected so delicately and 
quietly, that he was not aware anything was going on till the 



MODERN CHURCHES. 447 

morning of presentation. He had for a long time been defraying 
church expenses from his private purse, and the congregation 
collected the above sum to repay him, and wished the surplus 
(about £800) to be devoted towards building a larger house for 
his increasing family. East Hayes was thus originated. " 
{Cheltenham Examiner, Aug. 5, 1857.) 

st. John's church. 

The second modern church erected in the town was dedicated 
to St. Jo in, and the site chosen was the top of Berkeley Street. 
It was built at the joint expense of the Eev. VV. S. Phillips, &.D., 
of Gloucester, and the Rev. J. Moxon. It was consecrated by 
the Eight Eev. Dr. Bethel, Bishop of Gloucester, January 22, 
1829, and will accomodate 800 persons. It is built in the 
classic style ; the entrance is ornamented with two lofty pillars, 
over which, in the centre, is a tower containing a public clock. 
In a gallery at the entrance doors is an excellent organ. A Day 
School room is situate near the edifice, and was erected by the 
congregation. Several neat mural tablets adorn the church 
within. St. John's Church was designed by Mr. J. Papworth, 
the author of several eminent works ou architecture and land- 
scape gardening. A fine painting is situate near the altar. The 
musical department has long enjoyed a high celebrity, and full 
choral services are performed with great taste and ability. 
Attached to the edifice are School Eooins for daily gratuitous 
instruction. The last-elected minister was the Eev. G. Eoberts, 
M.A., formerly vicar of Monmouth, then Incumbent of St. Anns, 
Limehouse, and Lecturer ot St. Andrews, Holborn. He is also 
Known as an author, and among other works he published, 
" The Lite of a Bishop." 

st, james's church. 

In Suffolk Square, was commenced in 1829, a new churchy 
Which was consecrated on October 5, lb30, by the Eight Eev. 
Dr. Monk, Bishop of Gloucester, and dedicated to St. James. 
It is a light and elegant edifice in the Gothic style ; and the 
interior, wQicii is surrounded by galleries, displays two rows of 
lofty Gothic pillars and arches, terminating with a coved ceiling. 
The church, which is estimated to seat 1400 persons, was built 
by shares, and 400 sittings were set apart ior the support oi the 



448 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

minister. The organ cost £700, and was built by Gray, of 
London ; and in consequence of its power, several musical 
festivals on a large scale have been in past years held in the church. 
Over the large Gothic window, at the principal entrance, is 
a public clock. In Norwood Street is a school room founded 
by the congregation. Tablets to the memory of some of the 
deceased worshippers have been erected in the church. Mr. 
Jenkins, a resident architect, was the designer of St. James's 
Church. 

The congregation is a wealthy and influential one, as is 
evident by the amount of the collections made for benevolent 
and religious objects. The Eev. S. Chamberlayne was the last 
elected incumbent. His predecessor, the Rev. F. D Gilby, 
filled the office for a period of fourteen years until his retirement 
in 1857. The annual statement of sums collected in this edifice 
for the year ending January 1861, was £1077 8s. I0Jd. 

st. Paul's chtjech. 

St. Paul's Church is a successful attempt at adapting the 
classic style of architecture to religious buildings. This noble 
building was built after designs by Mr. Forbes, the architect of 
Pittvilie Spa, and was intended to accommodate 1600 persons. 
The front is a fine elevation with lofty pillars, and is well 
displayed by having a large space of ornamental ground before 
it. From a pediment over the entrance rises a tower surmounted 
by a dome, at the base of which a public clock is placed. This 
church was consecrated July 12, 1831, by the Right Rev. Dr. 
Monk, Bishop of Gloucester, and contains a large number of 
free sittings. It was erected partly by contributions and partly 
by grant from the Church Building Commissioners. The for- 
mation of a congregation in this particular locality was owing to 
the zeal of the Rev, Sir Henry Thompson, Bart., who laboured 
as the minister gratuitously for two years after the edifice was 
completed, and also presented the organ now used. His mother, 
Lady Thompson, gave the clock ; and her ladyship also at the 
same time presented clocks to the churches of St. John and St. 
James. Spacious school rooms for infants and children of more 
mature age, are erected near the edifice, in connection with the 
Normal College. The incumbent is the Rev. C. H. Bromby, the 
Principal of the Normal College. 



MODERN CHURCHES^ 449 

CHRIST CHURCH. 

The largest and handsomest of the local proprietary chnrches 
is Christ Church, which displays its lofty exterior on the summit 
of an elevated ground at Lansdown. It is a splendid edifice, 
and exhibits the style of Gothic architecture prevalent in 
England during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It 
measures in length 130 feet, and is 107 feet in breadth. The 
tower, an exquisite specimen of the ornamental Gothic, is 174 
feet in height, and is a conspicuous object from upland situations, 
both in this and the adjoining counties. The pulpit is of stone, 
carved in harmony with the style of the interior. This noble 
pile was erected after designs by F. Jearrad, Esq., and no 
expense was spared to render it complete and attractive. In 
the gallery at the tower entrance, is a fine-toned organ. This 
church was built by shares, and the living, after the expiration 
of 40 years from the date of erection, devolves to the incumbent 
of the parish- Christ Church is estimated to contain 2,000 
sittings, and was built in 1840. A clock was added after the 
completion of the edifice, which, from its elevated position in 
the tower, may be seen and heard at a considerable distance. 

The foundation stone of this beautiful structure was laid in 
October 1837, by the then Incumbent of the parish — Dr. Close. 
The following inscription was engraved upon the plate affixed 
to the stone : — 

" The first stone of Christ Church, in the hamlet of Alstone, in the parish of 
Cheltenham, built and endowed according to the 5 Geo. IY. cap. 103, sec. 5. The 
Rev. Francis Close, A.M., Perpetual Curate of Cheltenham ; the Rev. William 
Cams, A.M., Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; Pearson Thompson, Esq., 
Hatherley Court, Cheltenham— Life Trustees. Was laid by the said Francis 
Close, on the 10th October, 183?. R. W. and C. Jearrad, Architects." 

School rooms, in the early English style, are situate near the 
church. Mural tablets of a well-executed character adorn the 
interior of the sacred edifice. The Eev. Canon Boyd was 
minister until his appointment to the living of Paddington. 
He was succeeded by the Eev. J. Fenn in 1859. The returns 
of the amount subscribed by this congregation annually average 
£1300, and in 1854 it was as much as £2,007 13s. l^d. 
After two sermons on behalf of the Hospital in February, 1859, 
the handsome sum of £95 18s. lOd. was collected. In 1860, 
the contributions amounted to £1377 17s. 7d. 



450 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

st. philip's church. 
In a line with Great Norwood Street, on the Park Estate, a 
chnrch, dedicated to St. Philip, was raised in 1844. It is in 
the early Gothic style, and the architectural harmony is well 
preserved throughout. It is a neat structure, and a tower, 
surmounted by four pinnacles, rises to an appropriate height. 
The interior has a neat appearance, and the walls are enlivened 
by many handsomely-executed marble tablets, and among the 
number are several to the memory of the Burdett family, relatives 
to the rich heiress, Miss Angela Burdett Coutts. The ground 
around the edifice is set apart for burials, and a number of 
tomb and flat stone mementos of the dead have been reared. 
Connected with the congregation is a day school, carried on in 
a room, erected in the early Gothic style, in the Leckhampton 
Eoad. Mr. Shellard was the architect of St. Philip's Church. 
The Bev« J. E. Biddle, M.A., late minister of this church, was 
an eminent author as well as divine. He published a Latin and 
English Dictionary, and many other popular scholastic works. 
He resided at Tudor Lodge, near to the church, — a unique 
specimen of the domestic Gothic style of architecture. 

st. peter's church. 

The revival of a taste for ecclesiastical architecture is a 
gratifying sign of the times ; and our own locality has set an 
example well worthy of imitation, in the erection of St. Peter's 
Church, in the Tewkesbury Eoad. This successful attempt at 
representing the peculiarities of a style prevalent in England ere 
the Conqueror's race had ceased, was executed by resident 
artists — a fact highly creditable. The structure belongs to the 
Norman Komanesque order, and consists of a chancel, nave, 
north and south transepts, with a central circular tower and 
lanthorn. There is an organ chamber on the north, and sacristy 
on the south, abutting on the chancel, which terminates with 
a semi-circular ground apse, pierced with fine narrow single-light 
windows. The north-west porch to the nave has a richly- carved 
entrance ; and at the north-west angle of the nave is an 
ornamental and characteristic bell turret, which serves as a 
staircase to the west gallery. The principal feature of the 
church consists in the construction of the large central circular 
tower, open the entire height — 90 feet, which with its elegant 



MODERN CHLUICHES. 451 

triforiura, produces internally an imposing effect. The tower is 
supported by the domed spandrils, and the whole weight rests 
upon the four massive corner pillars. The roofs are open, and 
constructed with rafters and principals. The chancel is elevated 
on six steps, and paved with encaustic tiles : it is fitted up with 
a massive oak communion table, — a handsome copy of the 
Glastonbury monastic chair being placed stall-wise on each side 
of it. The communion rails afford an imitation of Norman oak 
carving. The pulpit is of Painswick stone, and has sunk 
arcading on three sides. The font is, with the exception of the 
designs, a copy of the one in Lincoln Cathedral. It consists of 
a square bowl, supported by a central pier, surrounded by four 
disengaged shafts at the angles. The designs on the panels 
are — The baptism of our Lord ; the entrance of Noah and his 
family into the ark ; the healing of the sick at the Pool of 
Bethesda ; and a pilgrim journeying to the heavenly city. The 
windows are of stained glass — the subject of that in the east 
end being " The Last Supper." The brackets for the branches 
which support the gas-lights from the walls are extremely 
beautiful. The architect was Mr. S. W. Daukes, of London and 
Cheltenham, and the builder the late Mr. T. Haines. The 
communion table and chairs were executed by Messrs. Urch and 
Seabright, and the communion plate by Messrs. Martin, Baskett 
and Martin. The foundation stone of the edifice was laid on 
Sept. 6, 1847, by Sir W. Jones, Bart., of Norfolk ; and the 
consecration took place March 22, 1849. The cost of erection 
amounted to £4,630. The church, which is capable of accom- 
modating 1050 persons, is endowed with £50 per annum from 
the Church Extension Society, £100 per annum from Govern- 
ment, and £60 from the late Miss Jane Cook, together with a 
piece of land in the Swindon Road for the poor of the district. 
The locality in which the structure is situate was constituted 
August 8, 1845, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, a distinct 
parish for ecclesiastical purposes, under the title of " St. Peter's 
District." The Rev. W. Hodgson, A.M., was elected the first 
incumbent, — an office which will not be affected either by the 
voidance or death of the incumbent of the Parish Church, St. 
Peter's district being complete and distinct for religious pur- 
poses. The ground around the edifice has been devoted to 
interments, and is the only modern churchyard besides tbat 



452 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

belonging to Trinity Church, consecrated within the limits 
of the parish. 

In 1858, the three centre perpendicular lights at the west 
end of St. Peter's Church, were filled with stained glass, to the 
memory of Miss Hodgson, the daughter of the incumbent. 
They represent scenes in the life of St. Peter, and the whole 
effect is peculiarly chaste and ecclesiastical, forming an additional 
ornament to the beautiful interior of the church. In 1859, the 
curate of the church was presented with a testimonial in the 
shape of a handsome time piece, bearing the following in- 
scription : — " Presented to the Rev. George Pruen Griffiths, M.A., 
by friends and parishioners of St. Peters, Cheltenham, as a small 
token of affectionate regard, and their high estimation of a 
faithful ministry which, during two and a half years, he had 
exercised amongst them. — June 14, 1859." 

st. luke's church. 

The National Schoolroom in the Bath Eoad having been 
licensed as a place of worship, according to the rites of the 
Church of England, was set apart for the celebration of Divine 
service on Sundays, By this means a congregation was formed, 
so numerous as to require a larger building, and the erection of 
St. Luke's Church on a site of land as near as could be pro- 
cured to the schoolroom was set on foot. The edifice is designed 
after the early English style, and a spiral tower rises from the 
centre. It is situated in Sir Matthew Wood's Road, and but a 
short distance from the Proprietary College. It will hold one 
thousand persons. The seats are, to a great extent, free — a 
sufficient number being let to raise a salary for the minister. 
It was erected in 1855, at a cost of £4,000. The interior 
well develops the early Gothic style of architecture. The Rev. 
W. E. Handcock was the first iucumbent, elected at the erection 
of the edifice. 

THE TEMPORARY CHURCH. 

The Parish Church having been for some time closed, during 
the progress of the works which were carried on in consequeace 
of the Order in Council, it became necessary to seek some other 
edifice to accommodate the many worshippers who regularly 
assembled therein, The Temporary Church was consequently 



MODERN CHURCHES. 453 

erected in 1859, on the site of the Clarence Hotel, and but a 
short distance from the parent edifice. It is a most successful 
attempt to meet an exigency, and a passer-by who knew nothing 
of its history, would not suppose that it was intended for a 
mere temporary structure. The material is corrugated iron, 
fluted, and painted stone colour. It will seat 15 00 persons, 
and is 132 in length by 69 feet in breadth. The interior has a 
very light appearance, and is fitted up with all the usual 
accompaniments of a church. The organ is placed in a gallery 
at the west end. This remarkable moveable structure was 
completed on Nov. 1, 1859. 

st. make's church. 

The freehold land estate on the Gloucester Eoad, near the 
Midland Station, comprises a district of 2000 acres. The 
number of inhabitants located upon it without the means of a 
place wherein to worship, atrracted attention, and a subscription 
was set on foot for the purpose of erecting a church. The 
appeal proving successful, the foundation stone of St. Mark's 
Church was laid on Sept. 20, 1860, by the Rev. W. Cams, M A., 
one of the trustees of the Parish Rectory. The edifice is on an 
elevated situation, and is designed to represent the pointed 
Gothic style of the fourteenth century. J. Middleton, Esq., 
was the architect; and the estimate of the cost was £3,125. 
The Rev. G. P. Griffiths was the first appointed incumbent. 
The congregation will have the advantage of a resident clergy- 
man by the erection of a parsonage house, and also the 
establishment of a school — a most desirable object in this daily 
increasing district. The schoolroom was opened on Aug, 5, 
1861, and the church was consecrated by the Right. Rev. Dr. 
Thomson, Bishop of Gloucester, on Feb. 8, 1862. 

The Church itself is designed to accommodate a congregation 
of 517 persons, all seated, and of this number 267 sittings are 
free. It consists of a chancel, nave, and tower, though the 
latter, owing to a want of funds, has not yet been erected. The 
chancel is 33 feet by 20, with vestry on the western side, and 
communion facing the congregation. The nave is 74 ft. by 41, 
and 48 feet in height ; the pulpit and reading desk being placed 
on either side at its junction with the chancel. The roofs are 
arched and open, and the appearance of the stained timbers, 



454 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

with the circular windows of coloured glass beneath, gives to 
the interior a very graceful and pleasing effect. The pulpit, 
reading desk, and font are of stone. The builder was Mr. J. 
Acock ; the sub-contractor for the interior fittings, Mr. J. Free* 
man, and for the plumbing and glazing, Mr. Bourne. The funds 
for the construction have been supplied mainly by voluntary 
contributions and church collections in the town and neighbour- 
hood. The Church Building Society have, we believe, made a 
" grant in aid " of £500 ; while the incumbent, the Rev. Gr. P. 
Griffiths, has contributed the munificent sum of £1100, of 
which £500 was towards the building, and £600 towards the 
endowment fund. 

In noticing the erection of this, the last new church in the 
parish, we must also direct attention to the fact that no church 
has existed in the hamlet of Arle, which adjoins Allstone and 
"Westall, since the days of the Protestant Reformation, as the 
following account will narrate. The erection of St. Mark's 
Church therefore meets the spiritual wants of an increasing 
neighbourhood, which have hitherto been for centuries neglected. 

Arle Church formerly existed at the adjacent village of Arle 
— an ancient hamlet of Cheltenham, and now pan of the parish. 
The discoveries of antiquarians, both from documentary evidence 
and ecclesiastical relics, prove the former existence of this ancient 
edifice, of which no memorial now stands. 

In the valuable registries of Cirencester Abbey, collected and 
published in Prynn's MSS., Arle is designated Alra, and 
described as having a church, which " was given to the mother 
church of Chiltham (Cheltenham) by Walter de Bruscella, whose 
heirs continued long after at Leckington (Leckhampton)." 

Exhumations of recumbent effigies and flat grave stones 
of the Crusader period, as well as portions of stone-work of the 
Norman style, have occurred during the past century. Among 
the portions of the old church which have been found was a 
massive beam, bearing the sacred monogram in Norman-Latin, 
and the date of 1250, This was probably the support of the 
rood-loft, which was placed between the chancel and the nave ; 
and the discovery with so early an inscription, proves the very 
remote period at which the structure must have been reared. " In 
various parts of the village, portions of stone effigies, bearing 
evident marks of high antiquity, have been excavated at different 



MODERN CHURCHES. 455 

times ; relics of the Norman order of architecture and portions 
of human bones are of frequent occurrence." (Snell). 

Arle Church no doubt was used as a temple of worship until 
the period of the Reformation, for it is incideutly alluded to in 
ecclesiastical valuations up to that period. Arle was, in the 
monastic era, a place of importance, and gave name to a family 
of wealth and influence. There is an estate in the hamlet called 
Arle Court, of very great antiquity. For a long period it was 
occupied by a family who derived their name from the place. 
The last on the male side of this ancient family was John Arle, 
who died in the reign of Henry VIII. The daughter of this 
John Arle married Robert Greville, who afterwards sold the 
estate in the second year of Henry VIII. , to William Greville, 
his brother, one of the most learned and illustrious judges of 
that period, whose remains are interred near the communion table 
of our parish church. By the marriage of the daughter of 
Judge Greville, the estate reverted to the Lygon family, and in 
like manner to Sir Fleetwood Dormer, who married Catherine, 
daughter of John Lygon, who was only son of Richard Lygon, 
of Maddersfield, in Worcestershire, by his second wife, Margaret, 
daughter of John Talbot, Esq., of the Shrewsbury family. The 
estate shortly afterwards devolved to Judge Dormer, and again 
to Mrs. Catherine Dormer, of whom it was purchased by the 
Hon. John Yorke. It was next possessed by T. Packer Butt, Esq., 
of Minchinhampton, whose family still hold it. What now 
forms a portion of the Arle Court Estate was, at a very early 
period, a separate manor, the property of an important ecclesi- 
astical establishment. In those days when convents and 
Catholic temples first existed in England, each devotee strove 
to provide for their support and maintenance by bequests of 
various kinds- The "Lanthony Priory" was endowed by 
Walter de Hereford, and among the land bequeathed was 
the manor of Redgrove at Arle; the Priory held possession 
of the property until the dissolution of monastic institutions by 
Henry VIII., at which period it was rented by William Lygon 
" for six shillings reserved rents." 

An ancient and shaded avenue of trees still exists near Arle 
Court. There is an air of antiquity about the spot, and if we 
can, in imagination, add to the scene, the once Norman church, 
w r e may form some idea of the primitive appearance of Alra. 



456 HI&TOR? OF CHELTENHAM. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

Sfesetttmg pates of SSHorsfiip^ 

CHELTENHAM was the abode of persons holding Noncon- 
forming sentiments at a very early period. In the 17th 
century there were three families in the town who represented 
the three denominations of Friends, English Presbyterians 
(Unitarians), and Baptists. These were the Masons (Friends) 
who occupied the property since converted into the Old Wells ; 
the Sturmys (Unitarians), who owned the Manor of Swindon, 
and property in the town ; and the Ashmeads (Baptists), who 
were also considerable property-holders. Judging from the 
bequests which have been made, it is evident that these early 
Dissenters were persons of influence, and it is not therefore a 
matter of surprise that a Friends' meeting house should have 
been erected so early as 1660, a Unitarian Chapel in 1662, and 
a Baptist Chapel in 1700, the bequests belonging to which last- 
named place, at the present day, are nearly £100 per annum. 
"With the increase of population Dissenters have also multiplied, 
and the town is now adorned with many elegant places of 
worship, as we shall endeavour to detail. 

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHAPEL. 

The Congregational Church, in Winchcomb Street, is one of 
the handsomest structures belonging to Dissenters in the town. 
It is of the Decorated Gothic, and was built from designs by 
Mr. S. Onley, architect. This elegant building was opened for 
divine worship on June 8, 1852. It is estimated to have cost 
£8,000, and will seat 1200. 

The Congregationalists, or, as they are historically styled, 
Independents, were among the earliest bodies formed upon 
Nonconformist principles in the county. Although so early as 
the year 1699 they existed at Marshfield, and places contiguous, 
yet there is no account of their having been known at Chelt- 
enham prior to 1814. In that year, and for some time after* 



DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 457 

wards, several young candidates for the ministry regularly con- 
ducted worship according to the practice of the Congrega- 
tionalists, in the old chapel, near Albion Street. In 1817, 
Highbury chapel, in Grosvenor Street, was built by Mrs. Wall, 
of Lewes, Sussex. The first minister was the Rev. J. Snow, 
then of the Baptist persuasion, for whose especial use the edifice 
was erected. At the secession of Mr. Snow, the building was 
sold by auction, and was purchased by the late Rev. Jenkin 
Thomas, who afterwards sold it for £1,300 to the late 
T. Wilson, Esq., and the Rev. John Burder, who invested it in 
the hands of five different trustees . for the use of Congre- 
gationalists, by whom it was opened in 1827. The number of 
worshippers at first was not numerous, but, like the other local 
nonconforming societies, the Independents have now increased so 
much as to establish branch chapels in connection with the 
parent one. The Rev. W. Campbell was the stated minister of 
Highbury Chapel from 1832 to 1838, and was followed by the 
Rev. S. Martin, now of Westminster, under whose ministry the 
number of attendants greatly increased. During Mr. Martin's 
pastorate the chapel debt was cleared off, school-rooms were 
built and their cost defrayed. 

The Rev. A. M. Brown, LL.D., was the next pastor, and 
commenced his duties Jan. 8, 1843. The eloquence and 
earnestness of this evangelical preacher soon attracted large 
audiences. The congregation becoming too large for Highbury 
Chapel, the present noble edifice was projected and completed 
under the auspices of the Rev. Dr. Brown, who at the period 
of its opening, had completed the ninth year of his ministry, 
and with an increasing congregation connected therewith. 

At the Congregational annual meeting, held at the Royal Old 
Wells in June 1861, the Rev. T. Haines alluded in congratulatory 
terms to the fact of the debt on the building fund of the church 
having been liquidated. He thought it no slight thing for that 
congregation to have paid £10,000 in seven years, and testified 
that the work had been most cheerfully and willingly accom- 
plished. The Congregational Chapel, in the Tewkesbury Road, 
was originally built by the Primitive Methodists, of whom it 
was purchased by the Bristol and Gloucestershire Congre- 
gational Union. 

" Presentation to Dr. Brown. — The members of the Rev. Dr. 



458 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Brown's bible class took occasion, on their assembling last 
Thursday at Highbury School, Grosvenor Street, to present the 
rev. doctor with a handsome writing desk. It was presented in 
the name of the members, by Messrs. Alder and Chick, and is 
composed of Coromandel wood, and bears a plate with the 
inscription; — 'To the Kev. A. M. Brown, LL.D., from the 
members of his bible class, March 31st, 1859.' The desk is 
very elegantly fitted up, with every requisite in a superior style." 
{Cheltenham Examiner, April 6, 1859). 

Highbury Chapel is now used as a school-room, and the 
British system is adopted with success. The large numbers 
who have in years past been educated at this school must render 
its influence of a very extensive character. 

" Highbury British School, Grosvenor Street. — This school 
has again been examined by J. Bowstead, Esq., Her Majesty's 
Inspector, who, having last year reported that the school had 
attained to a position of first-class efficiency, reports this year 
that it continues to be a well-ordered and efficient school." 
{Cheltenham Examiner, June 1861). 

THE BAPTIST CHAPELS. 

The history of the Baptist Dissenters is in fact the history of 
the rise, origin, and progress of the great principles of civil and 
religious liberty. They were identified with the first struggle 
that was made on behalf of the inalienable rights of conscience, 
and which ended in the acknowledgment of the duty of every 
individual to enquire for himself in matters of religion, and to 
maintain and practice his rightful conclusions. The Baptists, 
or Anabaptists, first sprung up in Germany, at the period the 
great Luther was laying the foundation of the Protestant 
Beformation. Although so early as the year 1400 there were 
individuals in England who denied the efficacy of infant baptism, 
and who were persecuted for broaching their opinions, yet it was 
not until the period of the commonwealth that they openly made 
an attempt to form Baptist societies. 

The first notice of Baptists existing in Gloucestershire occurs 
in Calamy's life of the celebrated divine, Baxter. Baxter was 
driven from Kidderminster on account of his Nonconformist 
sentiments, and sought shelter at Gloucester, in the year 1660. 
His biographer says " He retired to Gloucester, where he found 



DISSENTING PLACES OF -WORSHIP. 459 

a civil, courteous, and religious people. It was in this retire- 
ment that he met with the first Anabaptists that ever he 
was acquainted with. About a dozen young men or more, of 
considerable parts, had received the opinion against infant 
baptism and were re-baptis ed, and laboured to draw others unto 
them not far from Gloucester. The minister of the place, 
Mr. Winnel, being hot and impatient with them, it was thought 
hardened them the more. He wrote a considerable book at that 
time against them ; but the nation having then no great experience 
of the tendency of their principles, blamed Mr. Winnel for his 
asperity towards them." The seed which these " dozen young 
men " sowed, fell upon good ground, for at the passing of the 
Act of Uniformity, in 1662, we find that the following ejected 
ministers in the county embraced their principles, and minis- 
tered to Baptist congregations at the places named : — Rev. T. 
Jennings, at Brimpsfield ; Rev. T. Fisher, at Tanworth ; Rev. 
T, Prinn, at Kemply ; Rev. J. Head, at Bourton-on-the-Water ; 
Rev. T. Paxford, at Stroud. In addition to these may be 
mentioned several persons ejected at the same period from the 
office of master at some of the endowed free schools of the 
locality, and who afterwards became pastors. From the same 
valuable work we also learn the origin of the various divisions 
which exist, even at this day, among this sect, In 1661, says 
Calamy, " began the miseries of Gloucester ; for while the 
Anabaptists increased on one side, one Mr. Hart came from 
Herefordshire with Mr. Yaughan, a gentleman who drew many 
to separation ; and next came Mr. Bacon, who drew to Anti- 
monianism." The Baptists from this period have gone on 
r. pidly increasing in numbers, so much so that, at the present 
day, there scarcely is a town or even the smallest village in this 
extensive county in which a congregation does not exist. This 
fact stands prominently forth to the observation of even the most 
cursory visitor to our locality, and is a proof of what is to be 
achieved by a firm and uncompromising adherence, in the hour 
of trial and persecution, to the principles of religious liberty. 
Cheltenham had its professors of this faith at a very early period, 
for the resident Baptists had become sufficiently numerous in 1700 
to erect a place for their religious meetings. This building, 
which is yet remembered by pjany of our old residents, had a very 
antiquated appearance, and was only 38 feet in length by 20 in 



460 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

breadth. It stood on the site of the present Bethel Chapel, in 
St. James's Square ; and having become exceedingly dilapidated, 
and too small for the increased number of professors, it was 
taken down in 1820, and the now spacious chapel before-named 
erected in its place, at the cost of £1,600. The following 
ministers successively served at these two original places of the 
Baptists : — Eevs. Joseph Price, Eiiezar Herring, Thomas Perks, 
Samuel Dunscombe, Hugh H. Williams, George Gibbs, Henry 
Walton and Jenkyn Thomas. After the resignation of the last- 
named indefatigable pastor, the pulpit was tupplied by various 
persons, until the settlement of the Eev. Jas. Smith. In 1839, 
another chapel of this denomination was opened in Eegent 
Street, and the congregation assembling there under the ministry 
of the Eev. W. G.Lewis, erected, iu 1844, the very spacious 
and noble Gothic edifice now ornamenting Clarence Street. 
Another congregation has also been formed, so that Cheltenham 
has now three distinct Baptist chapels. A proof that the 
Baptist cause was formerly espoused by local residents of wealth 
and influence, is the fact that bequests were made for the benefit 
of the poor professors. The rent of the land on which houses 
in Chapel Street and other places adjacent are built, and also 
money in the funds were left for annual distribution amongst 
the poor attendants of Bethel Chapel, the particulars of which 
will be found in the chapter on " Endowed Charities. " Ebenezer 
Chapel in King Street, originally built by the Wesley ans, was 
occupied by the Baptists; and the congregation under the 
pastorate of the Eev. J. Smith, before referred to, erected a new 
place of worship, known as Cambray Chapel, in 1855. This 
edifice is in the Italian style, from designs by Mr. H. Danger- 
field, the Borough Surveyor. The cost of erection was £5,000, 
The minister, the Eev. J. Smith, is the well-known author of 
many devotional works. The celebrated metropolitan preacher, 
the Eev. C. Spurgeon, has frequently preached in this building 
to large audiences. 

The foundation stone of Salem Chapel was laid on Nov. 8, 
1843, and the building was opened on June 6, 1844. The cost 
of erection, was £4,000. In the gallery, abutting the very 
beautiful window, is an excellent organ. The only local burial 
ground belonging to the denomination is the one attached to 
Bethel Chapel. 



DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 461 

The Baptists have branch chapels at most of the neighbouring 
villages ; and schools and other benevolent institutions are 
connected with the different congregations. 

WESLEY CHAPEL. 

The first introduction of Wesleyan Methodism in Cheltenham 
was owing to the individual exertions of the great founder 
himself. The extraordinary career of John Wesley has been 
fortunately detailed by him in his well-known journal. Prom 
this very copious work we learn that Mr. Wesley first visited 
Cheltenham on Aug. 4, 1744. The spa waters were just then 
becoming famous, and the place was emerging from its obscure 
and village-like character, and attracting the attention of the 
titled and wealthy. At this period the only Dissenting chapels 
in the town were — the Baptist Chapel, Friends' Meeting-house, 
and the Unitarian Chapel, each of which, from its antiquity, 
was exceedingly small and dilapidated. The venerable founder 
of Methodism could not avail himself of either of these places, 
so he resorted to the Market Place, a rude structure, open 
on all sides, and supported by stone pillars, which occupied the 
front of the present Plough Hotel. " Here," says Mr. W r esley, 
" it being the season for drinking the waters, I addressed one 
of the largest audiences that ever assembled there. The footmen 
in livery created a disturbance ; but upon my speaking to them, 
they were attentive. 55 This visit is also mentioned in " The 
Life of the Countess of Huntingdon, 55 wherein it is stated that 
Mr. Wesley collected the audience as they were coming out of 
the Parish Church, and afterwards harangued them. It appears 
that his preaching had then little weight with the inhabitants; 
but, nothing daunted at his first reception, on October 25 th, in 
the same year, he paid a second visit, preaching from the text, 
" By grace ye are saved, 55 which, however, was equally un- 
successful, for, he says, " the company seemed just as much to 
understand what I said as if I had been talking Greek and 
Latin. 55 He went the same day to the adjacent village of 
Gotherington, where he had a most intelligent auditory: and it 
is worthy of note, that Mr. Wesley preached several times at 
that place, and expresses himself highly pleased with the 
attention which he met with. At the present day Grotherington 
— isolated and obscure as it is-=— is still a Dissenting station. 



462 HISTOTLY OF CHELTENHAM. 

It was not until twenty-two years afterwards that lie again 
attempted to disseminate his tenets in this town, and he then 
appears to have been fortunate enough to obtain the use of a 
dwelling house for the purpose. He made this visit, on March 17, 
1766, and appears somewhat pleased at the result. He says, 
" At ten, I preached at Cheltenham. Here I was in a strait. 
The house would not hold half the people, and the wind was 
keen enough. I preached in the open air, and I did not observe 
any, rich or poor, go away until I had completed." This last- 
mentioned date may be said to commence the history of 
Methodism in this town. It appears that converts were then 
made, one of whom opened his dwelling house for meetings. 
That such must have been the case is evident, from the fact that 
Mr. Wesley records a visit in the October following in these 
words ; — " I visited the little society, and found them quite free 
from bigotry or prejudice," On Jan. 16, 1768, in noticing 
another visit, Mr. Wesley remarks : — " About ten I preached at 
Cheltenham — a quiet and comfortable place, though it would not 
have been so if either the rector or the Ana-baptist preacher had 
prevented." This great man did not again visit our town until 
sixteen years afterwards : this was on March 17, 1784, when 
his audience was but small, and to use his own words, " cold 
and dead enough." This was his last visit, for he was now 
81 years of age ! but he lived seven years afterwards, engaged 
to the last in his favourite and laudable pursuit. Thus, at 
various times, during a period of forty years, Mr. Wesley broached 
his sentiments to this then humble, but now highly favoured and 
populous town. The converts to the cause, about the period of 
their founder's decease, rented the small chapel which formerly 
existed near Albion Street. Here, amidst much ridicule and 
persecution, they occasionally met for the purpose of public 
worship, for strengthening and consoling each other, and for 
o-eneral religious improvement. A few years afterwards the 
ministerial office was filled by Mr. Oliver Watts, a bookseller, 
who had then settled in the town. The population, through 
the fame of the mineral waters, had now increased to full 20,000, 
and bigotry having become greatly abated, the congregation so 
far improved that it was deemed necessary to erect a suitable 
temple for religious worship. After much perseverance and 
many trials a subscription was set on foot, and in 1812 the 



DISSENTING PLACES OP WORSHIP. 463 

foundation stone of a chapel was laid in King Street, and in the 
following' year it was opened for public worship, and named 
" Ebenezer." This temple in point of size formed a striking 
contrast to the one wherein the Wesleyans first assembled ; but 
such had bevn the great acquisitions since that period to their 
body, that even the King Street Chapel was found too small for 
the congregation. Another chapel was accordingly built, 
forming an auxiliary to the above, in the Bath Road, besides 
various others in the neighbouring villages. But even these 
were in time found to be also inadequate, and consequently the 
present Wesley Chapel, in St. George's Street, was built in 1839, 
The foundation stone was laid on Oct. 2, in that year, and the 
chapel was opened Aug. 21. This edifice is a truly noble, lofty, 
and spacious structure, supplied with a powerful organ, and 
surrounded with a large burial-ground. In 1846, another 
chapel was erected in Norwood Street, near to the previous one, 
and called " Bethesda." The Primitive Methodists erected a 
place of worship in the Tewkesbury Road, which is now the 
property of the Congregationalists. Bethany Chapel, in Regent 
Street, was built by the Association Methodists in 1838. 

In some of the early numbers of the Armini%n Magazine, in 
the Methodist Magazine, and in various biographical sketches 
which appeared during the life-time of Wesley, are notices 
illustrative of the spread of Methodism in this town and county, 
and which confirm the account now given. The first time 
ministers belonging to this denomination were sent into this 
county was by order of a Conference held in London in 1779, 
when three were appointed. The first local chapel erected was 
at Gloucester, and it was built by a vole of a Conference held at 
Bristol in 1786, although at this time there were only three 
stated ministers in the entire county. This is an early illus- 
tration of that zeal for which this body has always been famed. 

COUNTESS OF HUNTINGDON'S CHAPEL. 

The late Robert Capper, Esq., a magistrate of the town, was 
proverbial for his benevolence. The chapel in North Place is a 
monument of his disinterestedness, it having been erected at his 
sole expense in 1816. It was first occupied by the Rev. J. Snow x 
then a Baptist minister, and a seceder from the Established 
ChurcL In 1819, Mr. Capper presented the building to the 



464 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

trustees of the late Countesa of Huntingdon, and the services 
were conducted in succession by ministers sent from the College 
at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. The front elevation is of stone, 
with Gothic sash windows. The building is 67 feet long, and 
47 feet wide, and will contain 800 persons. An organ is placed 
in the gallery over the front entrance ; and the space beneath the 
chapel has been for many years a schoolroom. A residence for 
a minister is attached at the Portland Street entrance. The 
Eev. L. J. Wake, who has been the minister since 1886, was 
on Sept. 5, 1843, presented by his congregation with two pieces 
of plate, the testimonial bearing this inscription ; — " Presented 
to the Eev. L. J. Wake, Sept. 5, 1843, by the members of his 
congregation, as a mark of esteem for his seven years' faithful 
labours." Sunday schools and also village stations are con- 
nected with this place of worship. 

The establishment of a place of worship in the town in con- 
nection with the Countess of Huntingdon denomination, was 
owing to the labours of the pious founder herself. Lady 
Huntingdon was a frequent visitor to the town, and sent 
ministers at different periods to spread the evangelical truths of 
the gospel. In this good work she was aided by Lord Dartmouth, 
(then a resident of Cheltenham), who permitted her ladyship's 
followers to celebrate Divine worship in his own dwelling house. 
Lady Huntingdon commenced her work of love in the town so 
early as the year 1751, now upwards of a century since. In 
her memoir by the Eev. A. H. New, it is said : — " The Countess 
had been to Cheltenham several times, and expressed a hope to 
be enabled to pay attention to this interesting field of labour. 
Soon after the establishment of her College, the Gloucester 
Association requested the aid of her students, and her ladyship 
sent some of them to preach at Cheltenham and other parts of 
Gloucestershire. Her ladyship had been requested to supply a 
chapel at Cheltenham with her students, but owing to some 
unforseen circumstances she withdrew her ministers from the 
town. The good impressions, however, which were made were 
not erased from the minds of her people ; and eventually in the 
year 1808, the foundation of a chapel was laid by Eowland Hill, 
on the plan of her ladyship's connexion, which was opened in the 
following year, and was supplied by various ministers, until the 
Eev. John Brown was appointed the resident pastor. In 1816 ? 



DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 465 

"Robert Capper, Esq., came to reside at Cheltenham, and built, 
at his own expense, a handsome and commodious place of 
worship, called Portland Chapel, which, after a short time, was 
vested in the hands of her ladyship's trustees. For some time 
this edifice was supplied by a rotation of ministers ; but in the 
year 1834, the Kev. L. J. Wake was appointed the minister, 
where he still continues to discharge his duties." 

friends' meeting house. 

The very neat and substantial Meeting House, at present used 
by the Society of Friends, was erected in 1836. This religious 
body have also a cemetery in Grove Street. The original Meeting 
House, which adjoins the new one, was erected at Manchester 
Place in 1660. This building was afterwards occupied by the 
Unitarians, and has since been used as a schoolroom in connexion 
with the Church of England, and is now a private dwelling- 
house. It bears evident marks of having been built at an early 
period. Upon inspecting the interior, it will be seen that the 
edifice has been enlarged at three different times — a proof that 
the principles must have been embraced by many of the residents. 
The erection of a substantial and neat meeting house demon- 
strates that the present society are still alive to the maintenance 
of those principles of nonconformity and simple, unadorned 
Christianity, which their ancestors so ardently and disinterestedly- 
laboured to diffuse. Cheltenham was the only place throughout 
the county where the first converts to the Friends were allowed 
to hold their meetings without being persecuted. In the Parish 
Church are tablets to the memory of several of the deceased 
Friends, proving that their principles had been formerly adopted 
by residents of wealth and influence. Among the early preachers 
at Cheltenham was William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. 

unitarian chapel. 

The first planting of Unitarianism at Cheltenham was owing 
to the exertions of the learned John Biddle, who was a native 
of Wotton-uuder-Edge, in this county, master of the Crypt 
Free Grammar School at Gloucester, and translator of the 
Greek Testament. The persons from whose writings the life of 
this great man is to be gathered were his contemporaries, and 
his warm religious and political opponents. From them we learn 



466 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

that Biddle was one of the greatest scholars of his day, and 
that although continually persecuted, he never ceased from dis- 
seminating his principles, both in the pulpit and the press. 
They speak of him as a person of " great holiness of character, 55 
and as being able to recite verbatim, either in Greek or Latin, 
the whole of the New Testament. 

Biddle spread his sentiments throughout the county; and 
having been imprisoned at Gloucester for so doing, he was 
dismissed, in 1 644, from the office of master to the Crypt School. 
" His disciples, 55 as his biographers styled his converts, " con- 
tinued to meet secretly ; and at intervals between his various 
cruel imprisonments, he was enabled to visit them, and by his 
preaching kept alive, consoled, and confirmed their convictions. 55 
It is also said that many ministers of the Established Church, 
and other influential persons in office, privately imbibed his 
notions, and treasured up the works which be published. If 
the converts of Biddle then residing in Cheltenham did not at 
the first erect a structure wherein they might celebrate divine 
worship according to the dictates of their consciences, it must 
certainly have been directly afterwards. After Unitarianism had 
been thus locally preached for eighteen years, its reviver died in 
prison in London, in the same year (1662) that the notorious 
Act of Uniformity was passed, which drove 2,000 ministers from 
the Church of England. 

The successor to Biddle in his office of schoolmaster, was the 
Bev. John Cooper, who, after holding it for sixteen years, was 
presented with the perpetual curacy of Cheltenham. Mr. Cooper 
was one of the number that was ejected in 1662, and directly 
aftei wards he was elected minister of the Unitarian congregation 
which then existed in this town, which office he diligently 
discharged for twenty years, until his death, which was in 1682, 
at the age of sixty-two. In the ministerial office he was suc- 
ceeded by the Bevs. Balph Taylor, Henry Sturmey, Thomas 
Macock and Allen Kear, the latter of whom died prior to the 
year 1698, and his immediate successors are not known, the last 
ascertainable minister being the Bev. John Welles, who died 
about 1789, and with him decayed the first attempt to form a 
congregation of local Unitarians. 

It is a singular coincidence that Unitarian worship was 
unconsciously recommenced on the very spot where it was 



DISSENTING PLACES OF "WORSHIP. 467 

originally celebrated, after the lapse of half a century — the 
ancient Unitarian chapel having stood near the site of the late 
Mechanics' Institution in Albion Street, and, like all the primitive 
edifices of the Nonconformists, was hidden from general obser- 
vation, being approached by a narrow passage from the High 
Street, called " Meaking's Passage." This building was of great 
antiquity, furnished with a gallery, the pulpit and sittings 
ornamented with curious carvings, and capable of containing 
150 persons. At the period before referred to, when the first 
recorded minister of this ancient sanctuary was elected, Chelt- 
enham had just recovered from the evil effects of the civil wars, 
and, according to Sir Robt. Atkins, contained 1,500 inhabitants, 
200 of whom were freeholders. After this event the place 
gradually declined to a small village, so much so, that there are 
yet surviving those who boast that they could in their youth 
name all the then inhabitants. It was at this epoch that the 
decendants of the original worshippers, finding their numbers 
diminished and in pecuniary difficulties on account of their 
minister, had recourse to a mortgage on their humble temple, 
which was granted them by one of a similar persuasion residing 
at Warwick. This was, however, their last effort as a congre- 
gation ; for, at the death of the minister, the building was 
consigned to the mortgagee, and closed as an Unitarian chapel. 
Shortly after this, the followers of the zealous John Wesley 
commenced their itinerant labours in this locality, and rented of 
the mortgagee this building, where several individuals suc- 
cessively preached both on the Sunday and during the week, 
and continued possession until 1813, when the congregation 
removed to the present chapel in King Street, which was erected 
for their use. The next renters were the Independents, and the 
services were conducted by three young candidates for the 
ministry from Painswick, named Clift, Richardson, and Horlick, 
the last of whom became minister of an independent chapel in 
the Porest of Dean. These continued to preach until . the 
erection of the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel in 1816. 
The next occupier was that eccentric individual of the Baptist 
persuasion, long known by the name of " William Bliss," who 
retained possession until the building became so dilapidated 
that it was deemed unsafe to be used for any purpose, and was 
consequently abandoned, and became the common property of 



468 HIST011Y OF CHELTENHAM. 

all, no person laying claim to it. The desire to improve the 
town in consequence of its great increase in population and 
prosperity, called for the formation of the present Pittville Street ; 
and power was given under the provisions of the Commissioners , 
Act, to remove many old buildings, and, among the number, 
this then ruined edifice. Thus, after having been the humble 
instrument of founding four of our now most numerous and 
flourishing congregations, perished the first temple raised by the 
Nonconformists of Cheltenham. The zeal, piety, and un- 
exceptionable character of the early pastors of this interesting 
monument of the labours of our ancestors in behalf of religious 
freedom, are very clearly declared in a work published in 1698, 
now in the library of the Eev. B. Marden, M.A., late minister 
of the Unitarian Baptist congregation, Worship Street, London. 
It is entitled, " The Grounds and occasions of the Controversy 
concerning the Unity of God, the methods by which it has been 
managed, &c. By a divine of the Church of England." The 
writer, alluding to our locality, remarks : — " The Eev. John 
Cooper succeeded Mr. Biddle, the master of the Crypt School, 
in Gloucester, afterwards minister of Cheltenham, in Gloucester- 
shire, and after the Act of Uniformity, minister of an Unitarian 
congregation in that place. We appeal to all who knew him 
whether he was not a man always composed and grave, but of 
a most sweet and obliging temper and conversation. He 
suffered those abuses from intemperate and riotous men, when 
the nation was running mad they knew not for what, that it 
broke his health and hastened his end. His daughter, Mary, 
died about a year and a half since, a known Unitarian, so that 
the minister who preached her funeral sermon commended her 
to his auditors for a pattern of Christian virtues, however 
erroneous in her judgment. Mr. Cooper was succeeded in the 
guidance of the Unitarian congregation by theEevds. E. Taylor, 
H. Sturmy, T. Macock, and A. Kear, all of them very serious 
and diligent in their way, devout and pious, strictly honest, and 
charitable to their power, however, not so accomplished in 
human learning." In the original edition of the " Noncon- 
formists' Memorial," in Dr. Calamy's " History of the Ejected 
Ministers," and in " Baxter's Life and Times," are accounts of 
Mr. Cooper's ejectment from the living of Cheltenham. His 
death is thus registered : — U In ye yeareof our Lord God 1682, 



DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 469 

obit, Eev. John Cooper, minister of ye Unyterian Conventicle 
of ys place, March ye 18." 

Unitarianism was again revived by the settlement or Mr. 
Furber, one of the Bath Unitarian congregation, in the town, 
in 1832, he having commenced in that year conducting Uni- 
tarian religious services in his own dwelling-house. This 
continued for three years, when the Mechanics 5 Institution was 
rented and used as a place for public worship in 1835. In 1837, 
the congregation removed to the old Friends' Meeting-house, 
when stated ministers were elected, — the Eev. F. B. Barton, B.A., 
to 1839 ; Rev. F. Bishop to 1841 ; Eev. L. Lewis to 1845 ; 
Eev. W. Smith to 1847 ; Eev. H. Soliy to 1851 ; Eev. John 
Dendy, B.A., to 1853, and from that period the Eev. J. Gow, B.A. 

In 1844, the Unitarian Chapel at Bayshill was erected, at a 
cost of £2,000. It is an elegant structure in the Anglo-Norman 
style, and was designed b;y H. E. Abraham, Esq., of Torrington 
Square. London. The open wood roof of the Norman era is 
displayed in the interior. The first organ was formerly in the 
Wesleyan Ciiapel at Gloucester, and was presented to it by a 
daughter of one of the Chapters of Gloucester Cathedral, whom 
John Wesley had converted. A burial ground is attached, and 
also a schoolroom. The foundation stone of the chapel was 
laid July 13, 1842, and it was opened on Good Friday, 1844. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

To meet the increasing demand for accommodation for religious 
worshippers connected with Dissenting bodies, Cheltenham 
Chapel, situate mid-way between the High Street and St. George's 
Place, was erected. It was first opened August 2, 1809, by the 
late celebrated divine, the Eev. Eowland Hill, who regularly 
preached the anniversary sermon afterwards until the period of 
his decease. The Eev. W. Jay, of Bath, also took part in the 
services. It was vested in fifteen trustees, and the trust deed 
sets forth the congregation as Protestant Dissenters, and the 
minister to preach and maintain the doctrinal articles of the 
Church of England. The Eev. J. Brown, of the Countess of 
Huntingdon's connexion, was the minister of the chapel until 
the time of his death in 1846. 

Cheltenham Chapel has had several benefactors since its 
erection. In 1814, J. Friend, Esq., bequeathed £400; and in 



470 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1837, H. Broomfield, Esq., £200. The house in which the 
minister resided, in St. George's Square, adjacent, was also a 
bequest, as a token of respect to the Rev. J. Brown. A monu- 
ment to Mr. Brown's memory is erected in the chapel. A 
considerable space of ground around the building has been 
appropriated to burials, and many interments have taken place. 
After the death of Mr. Brown, the services were conducted 
by ministers of various denominations. Ultimately the trustees 
presented the building to the Presbyterian body. The Rev. Dr. 
Robert Steel was the first elected minister ; and since his 
settlement, the sect so recently introduced has become popular, 
as crowded auditories and a newly erected schoolroom attest. 
Dr. Steel, in 1862, was chosen pastor of a congregation at Sydney, 
Australia, and was succeeded by the Rev. T. Macpherson, M.A., 
of Birmingham. 

EOMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

The history of the present Catholic congregation does not 
date back but little more than half a century. The earliest 
professors of the faith appear to have been individuals who had 
settled here during the stirring times of revolutionary action in 
France, in the capacity of teachers of foreign languages. The 
number who assembled to celebrate worship was extremely small 
in the first place, and met in a private house. Among the 
number who came to the town (and who enjoyed a considerable 
patronage as a teacher of languages) was the Abbe Csesar. He 
was the chaplain and spiritual adviser of the unfortunate 
Louis XVL, and like his royal master fled from the stormy 
scenes of strife and bloodshed to the beautiful and retired 
" Queen of Watering Places." During his abode, a room in 
the York Hotel was fitted up for worship, and the services were 
regularly conducted by the Abbe. The number at this period 
was far from numerous, but on the increase. The Abbe died 
in 1811, and was interred in the parish churchyard, where a 
stone, erected by subscription among his pupils, may be seen, 
bearing this simple inscription : — " To the memory of the Rev. 
Alexander Csesar, French priest, who died Sept. 24, 1811." 
The Rev. J. Birdsall, a priest of wealth and influence, a few 
years previous to the Abbe's decease, had become a resident, and 
by his exertions and proselytism a numerous congregation was 



DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 471 

formed, and a spacious chapel erected in Somerset Place, and 
united with the Benedictine Order. Here the numbers were 
soon doubled, as is evident from the fact that upwards of one 
thousand members signed an address of loyalty at the time the 
Ecclesiastical Titles' Bill was being promoted. Mr. Birdsall 
conducted the services for a number of years, and at his decease 
the congregation erected within the edifice a handsome monu- 
ment to his memory. 

The Earl of Kenmare and Lord Castlecross took a warm 
interest in the establishment of a congregation, and paid repeated 
visits to the town for the purpose of aiding the local professors 
to gain that object. The Cheltenham Chronicle of March 11, 
1813, in recording the arrival list observes : — "Earl Kenmare 
and Lord Castlecross, the Catholic delegates, have arrived in 
this town. May they return with the tidings that the members 
of the present British Legislature is divested of that intolerant 
spirit which blurred the conduct of their predecessors ; that the 
Catholics, a loyal, long-suffering class of our fellow subjects, 
who have fought, bled, and died in the service of their country, 
have, by legal decision, a prospect of enjoying a suitable reward 
for their merit and exertions, and that holy religion be no longer 
subservient to narrow policy." 

The royal family of France during their residence in the town 
appear to have attended the Catholic Chapel, as the following 
extract from the Cheltenham Chronicle exhibits ; — " Monday, 
August 9, 1813, the remains of Charles Rosalie de Rouen 
Chabot, Comte de Jarnac, were conveyed from Pine Cottage to 
the Catholic Chapel in this town, where they remained during the 
celebration of Mass and the funeral ceremony, whence they were 
conveyed to Gloucester Cathedral for interment. Most of the 
royal family now residing here were present." 

The chapel in Somerset Place (to which was attached a day 
school, which is now near St. Paul's Church) becoming too 
small, a movement was set on foot for the erection of a new 
edifice. The result was the building of the present church 
dedicated to St. Gregory, which is unquestionably one of the 
finest modern Gothic structures that the town can boast of. It 
was opened in May, 1857, by Cardinal Wiseman, and was 
designed by Charles Hansom, Esq., architect, of Clifton. It 
represents the early decorated style of the 13th century, and 



472 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

the estimated cost was £12,000. The tower and spire is 
170 feet high, and the length of the church from the tower is 
157 feet, the nave alone measuring 90 feet. Both the interior 
and exterior exhibit some suburb carvings in stone. The altar 
contains some exquisite specimens of artistic skill — three 
sculptured pannels representing the Annunciation. The " Ladye 
Chapel " is separated from the nave by handsome rails of orna- 
mental brass. The stained glass windows are admirable speci- 
mens of artistic skill, and many of them are placed as memorials 
tu departed members of the faith. The entrance porch is very 
ornamental, and in a niche the Good Shepherd appears pro- 
minent. The stone pulpit is a work of the highest order of art, 
and of the entire edifice it may be said, that the beauty of its 
design and the elaboration and finish of every detail merit the 
highest commendation. 

THE JEWS 5 SYNAGOGUE. 

The ancient House of Israel first commenced public worship 
in a small upper room at the St. George's Place entrance to 
Manchester Walk, about forty years since. In this place, 
religious worship was regularly conducted until the erection of 
the present Synagogue in St. James's Square. The foundation 
stone of the Jews' Synagogue was laid with Masonic ceremony, 
July 25, 1837. The event attracted a numerous auditory, who 
were addressed by the Eev. J. Levy, first in Hebrew and 
afterwards in English. The Synagogue was erected after designs 
by Mr. W. H. Knight, a resident architect. The body of the 
Ark is imitation jasper ; the pediment is supported by Cor- 
inthian columns, and the doors are protected by a rich Indian 
curtain. The edifice is lighted by a dome, neatly ornamented 
with cornice and fretwork. On a mural tablet is displayed a copy 
of a prayer for the Queen and Koyal Family. The building was 
consecrated May 14, 1839. The Jews have a cemetery in Elm 
Street, Tewkesbury Koad. 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 473 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

(Eelcbratefc authors comucteft fottJ) tfje tTofon. 

CHELTENHAM has Literary associations of an interesting 
character. By birth, residence, and by visits, the Queen of 
Watering Places is connected with .Poets and Historians, dead 
and living, whose works have acquired for them undying fame. 
Among the number are Shenstone, Lord Byron, Sir Walter 
Scott, Thomas Campbell, Sir E. Bulwer, Southey (the late), and 
Tennyson (the present poet laureate), Thomas Moore, the 
poet of Ireland, lion. Mrs. Norton, D'Israeli, the author of 
" Coningsby" and late Chancellor of the Exchequer, Thomas 
Haynes Bayly, Kev. J. Middleton, Mrs. Cornwall Baron Wilson, 
Thomas Henry Sealy, Ainswort, Capt. Marryatt, Dr. Jenner, 
Dr. Barron, Charles Dickens, Mrs. Siddons. Phillips, Talfourd, 
Kemble, Sheridan Knowles, Mrs. Grey, Miss Pickering, Eev.R. 
Montgomery, Sergeant Allen, Gilbert, Horace Smith, Warren, 
Washington Irving, Douglas Jerrold, Harriet Marti neau, Lady 
Morgan, Lady Bulwer, Holland, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Fosbrooke, 
Sir H. Bishop, Dr. Wright, Professor Buckman, Hepworth 
Dixon, Mrs. Gore, Rev. J. E. Riddle, Handel, Charles James 
Pox, Miss Culloch, Beamish, Sydney Dobell, Horace Dobell, 
Myers, Newman, Byrne, Cradock Newton, Sir J. Ross, Dr. 
McCabe, Dr. Gibney, Theodore Hook, Rev. G. Croly, and many 
others. 

The poet Campbell has been several times a visitor. He was 
attracted to the town from its intimate acquaintance with the 
great actress, Mrs. Siddons. The poet's well-known life of this 
celebrated ornament of the stage evinces accurate local research 
into the town's history, as may be seen in reference to the 
quotations from it in the chapter on Dramatic History in this 
work. Campbell resided in Suffolk -parade during his first 
sojourn. His friend and contemporary, Cyrus Redding, has 
preserved the fact of his local connection, by recording it on the 
pages of the " New Monthly Magazine.' ' The national poet of 



474 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. . 

Ireland, Thomas Moore, will be long remembered among the 
local literary circles. He was a frequent guest of the late 
J. Corry, Esq., of 7, Montpellier Spa-buildings, a gentleman 
intimately connected both with the literature and commercial 
policy of the sister isle, and who enjoyed the poet's friendship 
from boyhood to the grave. The poet's widow is still an occa- 
sional visitor, and resides at Sloperton Cottage, in the adjacent 
County of Wilts. It is a most interesting fact that Lord Byron 
is closely identified with the locality. At the period when the 
reviewers were rivalling each other in discussing the merits of 
" Childe Harold," its author was enjoying the beautful scenery 
of Cheltenham. Here it was that he was engaged in collecting 
materials and contemplating his well-known poem, " The 
Corsair." His favourite lounge was a stile, which leads from 
Bays Hill, near Stoneleigh villa, through a passage in Lansdown 
Crescent. From this then quiet spot, the poet could command 
a most beautiful view of the vale of Gloucester, terminating on 
the right with the lofty hills of Malvern capped with the camp 
of the brave and patriotic Caractacus. The great poet arrived 
in the town in September 1812, and continued his visits until 
April 1813. His time appears to have been occupied in his 
literary pursuits, and he was in the habit of daily passing hours 
alone in some lonely or romantic place near the town, where the 
fields of nature existed unadorned, and doubtless tended to 
inspire him, and laid the foundation of that beautiful imagery 
so prevalent in his poetry composed at this period. He was a 
patron of the Drama, and associated with Mr. Siddons, Kemble, 
and Colonel Berkeley. The vicinity abounds with walks of a 
rural character, and it may be said with truth that no other 
fashionable Watering Place in England can command so many 
contiguous " nooks and glens " as our own town. These ever 
verdant and pictureque spots have charmed many a literary 
student. The boldest and most forcible delineations of the 
pleasure which a country prospect produces on the mind, as 
embodied in the characters in the inimitable tragedy of " Ion," 
were suggested to its author, Justice Talfourd, by his visits to 
our neighbouring hills. That a locality so truly beautiful should 
have fascinated a Byron is not therefore so much a matter of 
surprise. In Moore's life of the poet, is preserved a series of 
letters written by Lord Byron, during the period of his residence, 



CELEBBATED AUTHORS. 475 

extending over six months. The letters refer principally to the 
publication of his works, and the reviews concerning them. 
They are addressed to Lord Holland, Murray the publisher, and 
.Rogers, the poet. In one of these letters to Lord Holland, 
dated from High-street, Cheltenham, Sept. 10, 1812," the poet 
thus alludes, at the conclusion, to the locality — "My best 
respects to Lady H., her departure with those of my other 
friends was a sad event. It has now reduced me to a state of 
most cynical solitude. By the waters of Cheltenham I sat down 
and drank when I remembered thee, Georgiana Cottage ! 
As for harps, we hanged them upon the willow that grew 
thereby. — Byron." The spot alluded to is that portion of the 
Chelt which adjoins the residence of Lady Agar, in the Bath- 
road. Willows grew on the side of the river in a continuous 
line by Wellington Mansion, until the past few years. Lord 
Byron's daughter, who married Lord King, a lineal descendant 
of the philosopher Locke, was also a periodical visitor. This 
lady was the late Countess of Lovelace, aud well-known as 
"Ada, sole daughter of my house and heart." The local con- 
nection was continued by the residence of the poet's relatives, — 
Mrs. Admiral Byron in the town, and the Eev. J. Byron, A.M., 
who has for so many years been identified with the Hardwick 
vicarage. By a singular coincidence Lord Byron and another 
celebrated poet, Haynes Bayley, both resided in the same house 
in the High-street (No. 430), which has been recently converted 
into business premises, in the occupation of Mr. Beckingsale, 
draper. Charles Phillips, the author of the life of the inimitable 
Irish orator, Curran, and Mrs. Grey, whose affecting narrative of 
"The Gambler's Wife," has won for the authoress a moral fame, 
may be claimed as former residents. This is also true of 
Sergeant Allen, a leading member of the Oxford Circuit, and of 
the Eev. E. Montgomery, the author of the remarkable poem, 
" Satan," the former was originally a schoolmaster in the town, 
and the latter was his pupil. Both in after life were destined 
not only to acquire a literary fame, but also to occupy a promi- 
nent position in their different professions, the bar and the 
pulpit. Among others who have taken up their abode, may be 
enumerated General Sir Walter Ealeigh Gilbert, Mrs. Smythiers, 
the novelist, Phillipart, the well-known collector of military 
anecdotes, Miss Seward, the poetess, Sir C. Napier, Sir W. 



476 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

Napier, and Admiral Napier, the celebrated military historians 
of India, Millett, the author of the Drama of " Aladdin," the 
builder of the Imperial Hotel, and father of Captain Millett. 
Sheridan Knowles, during the period he was writing his popular 
play, " The Love Chase," was a resident. The forcible deli- 
neations of the horse, and the sports of the hunting field, which 
occur in the play, were composed by the gifted author from 
daily observation and enquiry at the horse repository adjoining 
his own residence, Sudeley-place, Winchcomb- street. The 
town and its environs have been the favourite spots for study 
of the Poet Laureates, Southey and Tennyson. The family of 
Tennyson for several years resided at No. 10, St. James's- square. 
Alfred Tennyson, the present Poet Laureate, is therefore most 
intimately associated with the town. The poet Shenstone in 
1734, and Sir Walter Scott in 1826, sought relief from the ill 
effects of a too close application to literary pursuits, by a 
recourse to the mineral waters of Cheltenham. Sir E. Bulwer 
Lytton, Bart., the author of the ever popular play of "The 
Lady of Lvons," Lady Bulwer, Hon. Mrs. Norton, Dickens, 
Douglas Jerrold, Miss Pickering, Horace Smith, Samuel Warren, 
author of " Ten Thousand a Year," Washington Irving, the 
fascinating American writer, Maxwell, author of "My Life," 
Home Tooke, Thelwall, Stocqueter, the Indian tourist and 
historian, Miss Harriet Martineau, the political novelist, Lady 
Morgan, Med win, the collector of Lord Byron's correspondence, 
Bev. G. Croly, LL.D., author of "Memoirs of George IV. and 
Cataline," Sir I. Brooke, author of "Travels in Borneo," Bev. 
G. B. Gleig, author of "The Subaltern," T. C. Grattan, author 
of " Highways and Byways ? " Theodore Hook, Bev. J. Hewlett, 
author of 'Peter Pringle," Lover, the ballad composer of 
Ireland, Mrs. Maberley, author of " Melanthe," Morier ("Haggi 
Baba"), Sir G. Brydges, Bart., the Persian historian, Sir J. 
Malcolm, author of "Sketches in Persia," Capt. Marryatt, 
Ainsworth, and D'Israeli, have all been local sojourners and 
mingled with the visitors and residents. 

The poet of Scotland, Bobert Burns, is also identified by the 
residence of his two sons, Lieut. -Col. W. N. Burns and Major 
J. G. Burns, whose public patronage to dramatic literature at 
once prove them to inherit a parent's taste for what is so justly 
calculated to refine and elevate society. The immortal Jenner, 



CELEBBATED AUTHORS. 477 

the discoverer of vaccination, and the author of works on 
Natural History and Philosophy, was for many years a resident 
physician ; and in ±814, at his residence No. 8, St. George's 
Place, formed the first literary society in the town. His friend 
and biographer, Dr. Baron, also a name distinguished in liter- 
ature, resided in St. Margaret's Terrace until his death. Mrs. 
Siddons, the renowned representative of the tragic muse, her 
brother Kemble, and contemporary Kean, were residents in the 
early part of their career ; and those talents which in after life 
created so much sensation, were first developed in Cheltenham. 
The well-known work, " Memoirs of the Duchess of St. Albans," 
by Mrs. Cornwell Baron Wilson, was studied during a visit. 
Here it was that the immortal Handel became a sojourner after 
the first performance of that inspired production " The Messiah. " 
Charles James Pox here sought repose, in the company of Jenner, 
from the fatigues of the senate house and the study. Here, too, 
have stayed Sir Plenry Bishop, for ever identified with every 
Englishman's ballad, " Home sweet Home/' That prolific and 
ever popular novel writer, Mrs. Gore, is also one of those who 
may be classed among the local literati. 

I)r. Wright has been locally connected by a residence of more 
than a quarter of a century. His labours have done much to 
advance a knowledge of the local geology, and he is also the 
editor of works in Bohn's library. " Dr. Wright of Chelten- 
ham — than whom there are few abler geologists in England." 
(Rev. S. Lysons.) Another resident was Professor Buckman, of 
the Royal xigricultural College, the author of a large number of 
works on Botany, Geology, Antiquities, and Agriculture, and 
who has written upon the geology and botany of this locality. 
Mr. R. Etheridge, F.G.S., the Curator of the Geological Institute, 
London, was a long resident. He was formerly Curator of the 
Philosophical Institution, Bristol. The name of Beamish has 
long been locally allied. His literary industry is strikingly 
apparent from the continual emanations which issue from his 
pen on almost every subject of value and interest connected with 
modern science and statistics. His " Statistics of Cheltenham " 
evince an amount of no ordinary research, which renders the 
work one of reference and authority. The " Life of Sir I. 
Brunei, C.E.," was the latest work of Mr. Beamish, and evinces 
a true biographical and scientific spirit. 



478 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Among the number of modern poems which have enjoyed a 
national celebrity, that of " The Boman," by Sydney Yendys, 
stands most distinguished. The graphic yet natural diction of 
the composition, as well as the truthfulness of its details, will 
ensure its permanent popularity. It has received from the entire 
press, as well as from the most noted of living poets, unqualified 
praise, like his later productions " Balder " and the " Battle of 
Inkerman." The author has been many years a resident in the 
town, but, prompted by that modesty which ever accompanies 
true genius, appeared before the public under an assumed name 
— the real one being Sydney Dobell. " His poems exhibit a 
singular mixture of the philosophical and the poetical spirit. 
Many of his passages are as spiritual in conception and lavish 
in imagery as the finest portions of Shelley." (Chambers' 
Encyclopaedia). 

The name of Myers, educated at our Proprietary College, is 
for ever associated with the Burn's Festival at the Crystal 
Palace. Although then only seventeen years old, the adjudi- 
cators of the Burn's prize money confessed that they had some 
difficulty in deciding as to the respective merits of Isa Craig 
or our townsman Myers, — so equally were they matched. In 
1861, this gentleman gained the Chancellor's Cambridge medal 
for the best English poem. He also stands distinguished for 
his poetical description of that remarkable painting which once 
o-raced the gallery at Lord North wick's mansion. His poem on 
Belisarius has never been equalled for truthfulness in Eoman 
historical details. 

Another poet educated at the same establishment has acquired 
a fame for faithful delineations of the inner life. — The name of 
Newman need only be mentioned to remind our readers of the 
prize poem " The Praise of Labour," which has from time to 
time appeared in the local press. 

The local poet, Cradock Newton, author of " Arnold, a Dra- 
matic History," published by Bogue, and " Dora Herbert," is 
the descendant of a very ancient family who have long held the 
manor of Bitton in this county. Kudge in his account of the 
manor, (History of Gloucestershire), states, that in 1483 it 
descended to Sir Thomas Newton, by virtue of his marriage 
with the daughter of Sir John Barr. u This family derive their 
pedigree from Howel ap Grono, Lord of Newton in Rouse. 



CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 479 

The family name was Cradock for many generations, till Sir 
Richd. Cradock, Lord Chief Justice of England, on his marriage 
with Emma, daughter of Sir T. Perret of Islington, changed his 
name to Newton." According to Leland, " he dwelled or was 
born at Newtown, in Powisland, and so was called Newton after 
that place." 

Horace Dobell is the author of an eminent medical work, 
" The germs and vestiges of disease." 

A well-written and able defence of the founder of Penn- 
sylvania, William Penn, in the " Cheltenham Literary Annual " 
for 1856, was from the pen of W. M. Tartt, Esq., LP., a 
gentleman whose literary taste is apparent from the many con- 
tributions which he makes to the local press and public bodies. 

Here it was that Wilderspin spent a large portion of his life 
in carrying out the Infant School system, which he perfected, 
and in which he was assisted by the Dean of Carlisle. His 
works were mostly written at the infants' school at Allstone, 
which he established in his own private abode (at present 
occupied as the country residence of Mr. Norman of the 
Cheltenham Examiner?) 

To William Byrne, a resident poet, we are indebted for a detail 
of incidents connected with the history and legends of the 
locality. This volume contains numerous extracts from one of 
his works, which contains, among many others, a much admired 
poem — " Sunday Morning at the Parish Church, Cheltenham." 
His writings have been favourably reviewed by the press, and 
Her Majesty the Queen signified her approval of the author's 
compositions, by letter, soon after publication. 

The prize for a poem on " Garibaldi," offered by a gentleman 
connected with the local press, in 1861, was won by Lewis 
Sergeant, a scholar of Pates' Grammar School, and who after- 
wards obtained the first of two scholarships in St. Catherine's 
College, Cambridge. 

Hepworth Dixon, whose "Life of Bacon," and "Defence of 
William Penn" are so deservedly esteemed, and whose editorship 
of the Athenmum has been so successful, was a resident, and 
connected with the Cheltenham Journal. 

The Rev. J. E. Riddle, M.A., the late Incumbent of St. Philip's 
Church, was the author of the English and Latin Dictionary, 
which is in general use, besides many historical works. 



480 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The Eev. C. H. Bromby, M.A., the Principal of the Training 
College, and Incumbent of St. Paul's Church, has been for 
many years past known by his numerous works on education. 
His fame as an author is not confined to England, but has 
spread itself even to the United States. We observed in a 
Michigan newspaper the following eloquent quotation : — 

"Training oe Children. — There is in this. great work emphatically a right 
order and a wrong order of prosecuting religions truth. In matter aud in 
manner we must remember the periods of child-life both in our schools and in 
our families. We must do more than crowd the memory with texts or dry 
abstractions, if we would awaken the consciousness of God's presence and of God's 
love, His power, His providence, His hatred of sin, His love of goodness, — then 
it is of the utmost importance that we bear in mind all along — the child's age, 
his mental capacity, his modes of thought. In other words, we must follow the 
example of the Great Teacher, and sit at His feet and see how tie spoke to us of 
the Father. Of His teaching, I have to observe this two-fold fact : first, that it 
was uniformly illustrative, and, secondly, that the illustrations were borrowed only 
from such objects upon which the conceptions of His hearers were defined and 
distinct. We too must not mount higher in our illustrations than the distant 
conception of our children. While they are still infants, and learn through the 
outward senses, we must show what God is, from what He does. We point to 
the green fields, and to the beautiful woods, and to the blue sky, and show His 
love. We listen to the storm and wind, and feel His power. In the Bible I would 
select the account of the creation, the deluge, and the scene at the Red Sea, as 
well as some of the simple miracles in the lives of David and Daniel in the Old 
Testament, and of our blessed Lord, to illustrate the power and the providence 
of God." 

In the department of theological literature the town has had 
many prolific writers, including the incumbents of most of our 
churches and some ministers of the Dissenting congregations. 
The Eev. A. Morton Brown, LL.D., is the author of " Leaders 
of the Lollards," "Evenings with the Prophets," &c. The 
Eev. I. D. Hull wrote the " Lays of many years." The Eev. 
E. J. Perry founded his beautiful poem " The Village " from the 
rural scenery in the vicinity. 

The Eev. Dr. Croly, rector of St. Stephens, Walbrook, who 
died in December, 1860, was a visitant. " Dr. Croly had 
connexions and attached friends in Cheltenham. He was 
amongst its occasional visitors. He was greatly esteemed by 
those who had the privilege of enjoying his society. As a 
successful writer he had been before the public for nearly half 
a century. One of the earliest works was his poem on ' Paris 
in 1815,' and it was one of his best. In 1820, he published 
his ' Angel of the World'; in 1824, his play of < Pride shall 



CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 481 

have a fall'; and in 1828, his magnificent biblical romance of 
c Salathiel ', which in eloquence and splendour has been rarely 
equalled. These, and his amusing ' Tales of the Great St. 
Bernard', and his latest volume of poetry, in 1851, under the 
title of 'Scenes from Scripture, with other poems', comprise 
his principal works of fiction. He was a contributor to Black- 
wood and other magazines." (Cheltenham Examiner ^ Dec. 
5, 1860). 

Mr. C. Hale, an old resident, has shown considerable research 
in his " Graves of our Fathers." 

That prolific writer, Jellinger C. Symons, one of Her Majesty's 
Inspectors of Schools, who died in i860, was long connected 
with the town, and married a daughter of E. Kendal, Esq., one 
of the Cheltenham magistrates. His valuable work " Arts and 
Artizans at home and abroad," is one of the best extant as an 
authority for ascertaining the staple commodity of any nation. 
He was successively editor of the Cheltenham Examiner and Free 
Press. The Critic in noticing his demise observes : — 

" Mr. Symons, who was the son of a country clergyman, was born in 1809, 
and received his education at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he 
graduated B.A.. in 1831. He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 18^3, 
but soon began to combine with the more special duties of his profession a devotion 
to literary questions of a social character, and more especially to the statistics of 
crime, education, and ot'.ier kindred topics. His writings soon attracted the 
attention of Her Majesty's Government, by whom he was appointed one of the 
Inspectors of Schools. The various pamphlets, lectures, speeches, &c, and more 
elaborate treatises on educational and social subjects, which he published between 
that date and the present year, fill upwards of six pages in the new catalogue of 
the British Museum. Mr. Symons is also rememberea for a controversy which he 
carried on against Dr. Whewell, and all the leading astronomers of the day, 
respecting the revolution of the moon on its axis, and for an interesting essay 
on the authorship of 'Junius.' " 

Allies, the Worcestershire historian, and Mrs. Eison, authoress 
of " Letters on the Continent," have been among the number 
of resident literati, and also Ml*. Hull, the author of " The 
Geology of the country around Cheltenham." 

In that branch of literature which is united with the science 
of music, the locality can also boast of having had eminent 
professors. The names of Kirstein, Sapio, and Pio Cianchettini, 
will long live in the memory of those who have ever listened to 
their performances. Tew among the living have enjoyed so long 
a share of popularity as Barnett. Long has this eminent 



482 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

composer been a resident. He is the author of those celebrated 
operas " The Mountain Sylph," " Fair Eosamond, ,, &c. 

The name of another resident professor, John Bishop, has 
long been associated with the musical world by his editions of 
the works of the greatest of composers, and by many contri- 
butions allied to the subject of music. To him we are indebted 
for making Handel familiar to the million. His life of that 
great man which appeared in 1856, was the first English work 
that gave the correct date of the birth of the immortal author 
of the " Messiah." In Victor Schoeler's Life of Handel, 
published in 1857, the discoveries and researches of Mr Bishop 
are quoted, and his contribution towards a correct biography 
of the unrivalled composer acknowledged. Mr. Bishop is a 
native of Cheltenham, and branches of the family are identified 
with our local dramatic literature and music. His last work, 
published in 1862, was " Remarks on the present state of Church 
Music. " He has also announced a new work of a very valuable 
character. 

" Mr. Bishop, of Cheltenham, is engaged on a new edition of Barnard's Church 
Music. Barnard's work, beside its intrinsic merits, illustrates the ritual history of 
the Church of Eugland in a very interesting way. The editor is known to be a 
skilful and accurate musician." (CiitiCy 18b2). 

The Hon. Miss E. B. Burton was a resident until her decease. 
This literary lady was the authoress of many works of the 
highest order. Miss Burton's aim was to render the most 
learned subjects in a popular form, and her position in society 
enabled her to publish at a merely nominal price. The lady's 
best known work is " Astronomy F; miliarized," published 
in 1838, which contains all that can be said upon the subject, 
and, as a specimen of the authoress's abilities, we extract from 
the chapter on Comets, which possesses interest at the present 
time : — 

" An abstruse calculation of M. Arrago's pronounces more than seven million 
Comets frequenting our planetary system. Of these, 140 appeared in the course 
of the last century, within the Earth's orbit, without being again seen. One 
especial observation merits attention. Amidst the couutless directions from, and 
in which, Comets are rushing throughout our solar system, there is one, from 
whence all are excluded; namely, the line of the celestial ecliptic, around which 
travel the Esrth and the other solar planets. Comets are found approaching the 
celestial ecliptic impetuously, from the most direct, to the most slanting course 



CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 483 

across it ; but no Comets move along any portion of it. The unerring minuteness 
of creative care thus guarding the path of its solar worlds from undue proximity 
even with their regenerators. Agents of grandeur proportionate to energies thus 
awful — what a spectacle is permitted to man, in beholding bodies thus tremendous, 
traversing immensity with such appalling rapidity ; and, within limits prescribed, 
wheeling about with a regularity so precise." 

Millett, the portrait painter, who resided so long in the town, 
was the author of that very popular play, " Aladdin." He 
built with the money earned by his talents, the Imperial Hotel 
in the Promenade, now called the Imperial Club. He was the 
father of Capt Millett, who, until recently, was also a resident. 

" Millett the Portrait Painter, and his Hotel at Cheltenham. — 
Of another friend, about this period, (1820), I have a curious theatrical anecdote 
to relate. Mr. Millett was a miniature paimer of fashionable repute, and one of 
the best artists in his line of that day. He had just finished a likeness of the 
famous King of Poyais, Magregor, (a royal-looking personage he was,) which I 
called to see, and we afterwards strolled out together. Heading the playbills on 
the walls, we saw "Aladdin" anuounced, at which Millett laughed, and said, 
'You would hardiy believe that some years ago I tried my hand at dramatic 
writing, and really sent in a piece under that very title, of which I have never 
heard since. I should like to go and see this novelty of the same name.' 'The 
play's the thing,' ansuered I, ami, after a quiet chop in the neighbourhood, to the 
theatre we went. After the play, the curtain drew up for the grand spectacle of 
the ' Wonderful Limp ;' and not the least extraordinary and amusing part of it 
was performed in our box by my companion. On the opening scene he gave me 
a dreadful kick on the shins, exclaiming, ' That's mine ! that's mine !' A little 
change took place, and he added, sot to voce, ' Or very like it.' The short and the 
long of it was that ' Aladdin ' was Millett's drama, converted into one of the most 
successful spectacles ever produced ; and perhaps he was the first dramatist who 
ever went to see a piece of his own performed without knowing it. By my advice 
he wrote to Mr. Harris the next day, stating the circumstances, and, in return, 
received from that gentleman a letter of thanks and a cneque for a hundred 
guineas. Whether it was to follow the example of his hero, I cannot tell, but he 
left off painting in London and settled in Cheltenham, where he built a most 
magnificent palace for an hotel, and let it at a rent of £500 a year." (Auto- 
biography of William Jordan, vol. iii.) 

Another resident artist carried the first prize in 1843, for a 
design of the Cartoons for the New Houses of Parliament : — 

"For one of the cartoons now exhibiting in Westmintt^r Hall, a premium of 
£300 has been awarded to one of our townsmen, Mr. E. Armitage, 13, George 
Street, Adelphi, and Prestbury Mansion, Cheltenham. The subject ofthe drawing 
is ' Csear's first iuvasion ot Britain,' and the Times has thus remarked upon it: — 
' This cartoon is very splendid : the subject is treated after the manner of Le Brun, 
and reminds the spectator of some of the pictures of that artist in the Louvre." 

The local School of Art is distinguished for the many prizes, 
both local and national, which its members have obtained. 



484 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

According to a return of the various Art Schools in England, 
made in 1857, Cheltenham had educated 1,350 students, which, 
in proportion to the population, was the largest number of any 
place. According to the eighth annual report, issued in 1861, 
the average number in attendance was 205. The report states 
that " the testimony which has been again borne to the suc- 
cessful teaching in the school by the Inspector from the Science 
and Art Department, South Kensington, must prove highly 
gratifying to all interested in the progress of Art amongst us. 
Fifteen medals and twenty-one prizes, exclusive of those which 
have been awarded to students of the Training College and other 
public schools, have rewarded the industry of the pupils, and 
sustained the character of the school. Of these fifteen medals, 
the Committee have the pleasure to state, nine were awarded to 
lady students." According to the report of 1862, the attendance 
at the school amounted to 286. The national medal, in 1858, 
was won by one of the students, Mr. R. T. Waite. " We are 
assured by a competent judge that the drawing of Mr. Waite is 
One of the best of its kind which has yet been placed in the 
South Kensington Museum. (Cheltenham Examiner, July 14, 
1858). 

Thomas Haynes Bayly, the founder of a new style of English 
ballads, and whose poetical productions will endure as long as a 
taste exists for English poetry, is most closely linked with the 
town's history. In Cheltenham, Bayly not only lived but died. 
Here he rests in peace. He reposes beneath a willow tree 
planted by a friendly hand in the new burial ground. The 
poet's " last home " is amid the luxuriant turfy grass to the 
left of the chapel, and it is as quiet and secluded a spot as 
could have been selected for a poet's grave. Located at a 
distance from the main walks, the last resting place of the poet 
is not easily discernable, but "the pilgrim to the poet's tomb," 
and we trust there may be many yet, may discover it by the aid 
of the drooping willow which hangs its head, as if in grief, over 
all that is mortal of him whose words have penetrated many a 
heart and caused a tear of affection to be shed. Bayly sought 
relief in the beautiful air, scenery, and mineral waters of the 
place, from the effects of ill-health. But all aids failed him, 
and he calmly resigned his spirit unto Him who gave it. Thomas 
Haynes Bayly resided at No. 430, High-street, where he died 



CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 485 

on April 22, 1839, after a protracted illness, at the age of 42 
years. He was interred in the new burial ground, and for a 
long time afterwards only a foot stone was erected to mark the 
spot where the poet's remains rested. At length a memorial 
was reared, interesting from the kindly feelings which prompted 
it. Mrs. Morgan, an ardent admirer of the poet's productions, 
then residing at Norwood, came to Cheltenham, planted the 
willow tree which now mournfully hangs over the grave, and at 
ber own expense erected a head stone. The inscription simply 
records the name and date of decease — eulogy has been deemed 
unnecessary for a poet whose productions are so familiar. A 
design is, however, cut out of the stone from a drawing executed 
by Mrs. Morgan. As a work of art it is trifling, but the idea 
which it conveys is most significant. It represents a butterfly 
escaping from its chrysalis state, emblematical of resurrection, 
and symbolical of the author's celebrated ballad, "I'd be a 
butterfly." The lady who has thus endeavoured to perpetuate 
the poet's memory in Cheltenham, is the Mrs. Morgan, to whom 
the author dedicated his beautiful poem, " 'Twas in a happy 
summer hour," which is presented in his memoir published by 
Bentley. 

In St. James's Church, in this town, a mural marble tablet 
has been erected to the memory of Mr. Bayly. It bears the 
following inscription, written by Theodore Hook : — " Sacred to 
the memory of Nathaniel Thomas Haynes Bayly, Esq., who 
died in this town, the 22nd of April, 1839, aged 42 years. He 
was a kind parent, an affectionate husband, a popular author, 
and an accomplished gentlemen. To commemorate the good 
qualities which she duly appreciated, this tablet has been erected 
by his disconsolate mother." 

The Rev. J.Middleton, the author of " Pompeii," a resident poet 
of high celebrity, at a lecture at the Literary and Philosophical 
Institution, in 1 840, read a poem to the memory of Mr. Bayly, 
and in 1852 Mr. Thornton, also a resident poet, paid a tribute 
to his memory. Both these poetical productions were worthy of 
their authors and the occasion which called them forth. In 
acknowledging the latter compliment, the widow of the gifted 
poet, in a letter to its author, thus concludes : — " I also send 
you an extract from the reviews of one of his prose works, 
( Kindness in women/ I shall be most happy to frame the 



486 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

verses you wrote at his grave, and place them in my drawing- 
room. My drawing-room is now ornamented with pictures done 
for me by friends, from some of Haynes Bayly's songs, and I 
expect soon to be presented with his pedigree to hang among 
them. His pedigree is a very ancient one, being descended 
from Elizabeth Woodville, who was Lady Grey of Grobby — 
consequently, being Queen of King Edward, she was ancestor 
to Lady Jane Grey. Haynes Bayley, therefore, comes in under 
the same line as her present Majesty, and the late Duke of Wel- 
lington — the former being twenty-first in descent from Edward 
L, and the latter nineteenth in descent from the same king. 
Pray believe me, truly yours, Helena Haynes Bayly." Although 
a private communication, we have quoted from this letter, 
feeling assured that the public will be glad to learn that the 
poet's widow still survives and still retains a taste for that 
poetical literature which her gifted partner so much cultivated 
when among the living. The fact is especially interesting to the 
musical portion of our residents. How frequently have we 
heard crowded and fashionable auditories at the Assemby Rooms, 
during a concert, loudly applaud and encore the compositions of 
Bayly, and few who did so, perhaps, were aware that the author 
lived and died near the spot in which they were assembled. The 
poet is no more, but his widow yet lives, and the letter which 
furnishes us with this latter fact, and which we have been 
quoting, is of recent date, being headed " Monkstone, county 
of Cork, Ireland, December 8, 1852." 

The author is also indebted to Mrs. Bayly for facts com- 
municated in reference to the present notice. This lady, whose 
family relations were residents, is still a periodical visitor. 

On approaching the Gloucester-road from Christ Church the 
eye is met by a noble residence surrounded by stately trees, and 
forming a picturesque termination to the view from a declivity 
of the hill on which the sacred edifice is placed., This building 
is celebrated as the birthplace of Thomas Henry Sealy, a poet 
and writer of celebrity, who died at Bristol, in 1 84*8. Alstone 
Lawn, for such is the name of the mansion, was the property of 
the Sealy family until within the past thirty-six years. They 
appear to have been persons moving in the higher circles of 
society, and were regarded as possessing wealth and local in- 
fluence. Born in such circumstances, there can be no doubt 



CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 487 

that the poet received, when young, a first-class education. 
Thomas Henry Sealy was born at Alstone Lawn in 181 L: 
when he died he was only thirty-seven, that fatal age to genius! 
After rambling about the world for a time, in which period he 
visited, amongst other countries, the classic land of Italy, and 
there drank deeply of that perennial fountain of poetic inspira- 
tion, he settled down at Bristol, where the exigencies of his 
family fixed him for a number of years. Here he conducted 
several literary undertakings, but with less fortunate results lor 
himself than moral benefits to the community. He was well 
versed in Italian literature and poetry, ancient and modern; and 
some of his translations from that langaage are greatly admired 
for fidelity and spirit. But he did not confine himself to the 
humbler office of re-creating the work divine oi other hands ; 
he aspired to the personal honour of the poet's vocation. A 
volume of poems, published under the quaint title of " The 
Little Old Man in the Wood, 55 will be remembered by the 
poetical reader. Natural history and antiquities also eng ged 
his attention. He had a curious e^e, and had observed nature 
for himself. For several years, down to 1843, he was editor 
of " The Western Archaeological Magazine, 55 published in 
Bristol. At that period he embarked his genius and his fortune 
in a weekly newspayer, called The Great Western Advertiser, 
which, after a hard struggle for existence, failed, and involved 
its editor and proprietor in ruin. The losses in this under- 
taking were estimated at £12,000. From the mental effects of 
this calamity he never recovered. His misfortunes preyed upon 
a mind naturally sensitive, wasted his health, and, in conjunc- 
tion with the harassing labours to which they gave rise, in fact 
necessitated, threw him into the consumption which carried him 
to a premature grave, just as the finer qualities of his mind 
were beginning to develope themselves, and his status in the 
world of intellect acknowledged. All who had the happi- 
ness of his acquaintance loved and honoured him sincerely. 
Many more, who knew him only in his works, admired the 
subtle soul, the delicate irony, the virgin freshness, power, and 
truth which pervaded them like a possessing spirit. Of all 
English writers his genius most resembles that of Goldsmith 
and Charles Lamb. His writings, immature as some of them 
undoubtedly are, belong to that favourite order of English 



488 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

classics, and will hereafter claim their place upon the shelves 
with these productions. 

For some time before his failure he conducted a periodical 
under the title of "Sealy's Western Miscellany," also published 
at Bristol, and in this he published some of his most charming 
tales. The book, however, by which he is best known, and by 
which he will be remembered, is k< The Porcelain Tower." Of 
a work so popular it is needless to say anything in this place. 
His anonymous articles — scattered through many journals and 
reviews — would, if disposed of differently, have brought him 
the fame which can alone, to the aspiring mind, compensate for 
the loss of fortune. But this, the fact which we have just 
alluded to, denied to some extent ; at least it threw difficulties 
in his way. He was, however, emerging into distinction. 
Nature had made hirn a literary man, and she had not withheld 
the power to compass great intents. Had he lived he would 
have achieved them. He fought his part out nobly ; and, to 
the last, his brave spirit struggled against difficulty and de- 
pression. Militant or triumphant, his mind was equal to his 
fate. , He died untimely for himself and for the world. But he 
perished in a high service ; and he has left many fellow labourers 
behind who loved his virtues and honour his memory. 

Sir James Steuart, who is identified with Scottish literature, 
was for many years a resident, and died in the town in 1839. In 
Chambers's Journal for that year occurs the following biograph- 
ical notice : — " In August last, died at Cheltenham, Sir James 
Steuart, of Coltness, Baronet. This obituary notice would also 
be apt to pass unnoticed. Yet to those who know a little of, 
and feel some interest in, the domestic history of our own 
northern portion of the island, Sir James Steuart was a some- 
what remarkable man. He was alive in 1745, though only, it 
is true, as an infant. His father, in the month of October in 
that memorable year, proceeded from Holy rood House as an 
ambassador from Prince Charles Stuart to Louis XY. of France, 
in order to arrange for a French invasion, which was to have 
overturned the Hanoverian dynasty in Britain. Such strange 
things may the life of a single man bring into connection with 
our own peaceful age ! Sir James's mother was sister to the 
Lord Elcho who acted a conspicuous part in the insurrection, 
and at Culloden is said to have entreated the Prince to charge 



CELEBKATED AUTHORS. 489 

with the wreck of his army against the too victorious troops of 
Cumberland. Sir James himself, this very old gentleman who 
died a few weeks ago at Cheltenham, was a friend of Lady 
Mary Wortley Montagu ! She speaks of him in some of 
her letters as a fine young officer. She, it will be recollected, 
was born a subject of King William and Queen Mary ! He 
was also a pet of the Duchess of Douglas, a singular specimen 
of the old world, who spoke broad Scotch, uttered all sorts of 
broad jokes, and never went out of her way for any body; this 
duchess" s husband was made a duke at the Union in 1707, and 
fought on the government side at Sheriffmuir ; transactions which 
appear almost resolved into ancient history. The former Sir 
James, the Prince's ambassador, was a man of vigorous talent, 
and wrote the first treatise of any importance in our language 
on political economy. Yet he was not exempt from super- 
stitions, such as those which shaded the majestic intellect of 
Johnson, and from wiiich perhaps no man of that age was 
altogether free. He had agreed with a youthful friend named 
Trotter, that whichever of them died first, should come back, if 
possible, to give an account of the other world to his surviving 
companion. A grove near Coltness House, in Lanarkshire, 
wheie they had often studied together in summer, w 7 as the place 
appointed for this re-appearance ; that there might be no mistake 
or misapprehension, the nour was to be noon, and the deceased 
party was to come in the form and appearance he usually bore 
in life. Mr. Trotter died, and for many years before his expa- 
triation in 1745, Sir James went regularly at mid-day to the 
appointed place, in the hope of meeting his friend. Seventeen 
years of exile elapsed, during which his mind was engrossed by 
one of the most rationalising of all studies. Yet, when permitted 
by the clemency of George III. to return home, and resume 
possession of his paternal mansion, he had still tne same feeling 
respecting his engagement with Mr. Trotter. He resumed his 
meridian visits to the grove, and continued them to the end of 
his life, even when the gout had made him scarcely able to walk. 
He used to say, in apology, that we do not know enough of the 
world beyond the grave, to entitle us to say that it is impossible 
for one who has entered it to return to this terrestial sphere. 
TVe must look with additional interest on the scarcely yet dried 
obituary notice of the last Sir James Steuart, when we find him 



490 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

connecting the present age with a tale savouring so much of — 
we may almost say — the seventeenth century. Does the grove 
of Coltness still exist ? The estate, alas ! has been sold to a 
mining company for its iron and coal. We would fear that under 
its new circumstances, romantic associations respecting its 
surface may be little regarded. Yet it were worth while to take 
some care of the mansion and its * pertinents ' of the five Sir 
James Steuarts of Boltness — all of whom were men of oome 
eminence in the service of their country, though in different 
walks — the second being perhaps the most remarkable. He was 
a fellow-adventurer of William of Nassau in his voyage of 
November, 1868, wrote his manifesto for Scotland, and after 
the succesful achievement of the Eevolutiou, became his Lord- 
Advocate (first officer of the executive) for that country. c Jamie 
Wylie ' was the popular name of this statesman, on account of 
his dexterous movements amidst the trouble politics of that era; 
and that the name was not undeserved, one anecdote will show. 
In 1708, when the Chevalier St. George was hovering on the 
coast with, a French fleet, some one represented to Sir James 
that of course the man who wrote so important a paper for 
William could not but be in great danger — ' Hoot, 5 replied the 
old politician, c I'll e'en write his manifesto too !' 

It will be seen that we have classed Dr. Jenner the immortal 
discoverer of vaccination among our local literati. In Chelten- 
ham he practised as a physician, and by a singular coincidence 
his biographer, Dr. Baron, was also a resident medical practi- 
tioner. Dr. Jenner was, moreover, a native of the county, 
having been born at Berkeley. It is an interesting fact that 
the original portrait of Dr. Jenner is still preserved at Chelten- 
ham. This memorial of the great man consists of a large and 
beautifully executed half-length painting in oil. It was painted 
by the great Sir Thomas Lawrence in 1810, and is now in 
the possession of Miss Baron, St. Margarett's Terrace, a relation 
of Dr. Baron, the author of Jenner's life. In that able work 
this portrait is referred to by Jenner in a letter to James Moore, 
Esq., dated February 26th, 1810, " When I was last in town my 
friends urged me to sit to Lawrence, and I complied." The 
engraved portrait which adorns Dr. Baron's work of the great 
philanthropist is an exact copy of this noble work of art. 

The number of literary and scientific residents is strikingly 



CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 491 

apparent from the organizations which have in years past been 
effected to promote the spread of knowledge. So early as the 
year 1813, the justly celebrated Dr. Jenner attempted the 
formation of the first Literary Society, at his residence, No 8, 
St. George's Place. In after years similar attempts were made, 
and, at meetings from time to time held, essays were read by 
Sir George Whitmore, Dr. Chichester, Dr. Boisragon, Dr. 
Eobinson, Kev. G. Bonnor, Dr. Conolly, Mr. Moss, Mr. H. 
Davies, and many others. The influence which these united 
efforts exercised is manifest by the members raising, by the 
means of shares, a sufficient amount to erect the late Literary 
and Philsophical Institution, which for so many years ornamented 
the Promenade, and of which we present a representation. In 
an architectural point ot view the building is deserving of notice, 
from its being a model of the Temple of Theseus. The building 
of the Temple of Theseus was the work of the age of Pericles, in 
the year that Aphepsion was Archon, 467 years before Christ. 
It was built of Pentelic marble, and was honoured at its opening 
by games and festivals ; and also by the celebrated contest 
between QEschylus and Sophocles. The front of the portico of 
the Institution, like Theseus, is hexastyle, having six columns, 
which are fluted, and also in the arrangement of its intercohim- 
niations, which approaches near to the Systytos. The metopes 
in front of Theseus, were sculptured in alto relievo, representing 
the labours of Hercules ; on either side four metopes only were 
sculptured, representing eight of the achievements of Theseus. 
In the portico of the Institution, these are, from motives of 
economy, left plain. The proportions of the development of the 
syffit of the corona; the mutules, with the distribution of their 
guttse; the tryglyphs, and also the autse, are preserved with the 
utmost fidelity. The portico being the architectural feature 
intended to attract most attention, the remainder of the front 
is purposely preserved tranquil and unobtrusive. The interior 
of the building contained a spacious lecture-room, library, 
reading-rooms and museum, In the latter, among the curiosities, 
was preserved a mummy which was publicly unrolled at the 
Institution before large companies, in October, 1842, by D. W. 
Nash, Esq., ; it was brought to England by Captain Lowe, E.N. 
There was also a fine specimen of Monastic art, in basso relievo, 
discovered at Earls Croome, Worcestershire, representing the 



492 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

leading events in the Life of Christ ; and many other specimens 
connected with history, science and the fine arts, worthy of being 
preserved. The Society having been dissolved, the fine classic 
building was taken down in November, 1861. The museum, 
library, and works of art are still preserved with a view to their 
being applied for the purposes of a public institution to be here- 
after established in the town. 



CHAPTEE XXV. 

Hotal Instances of HongebftB- 

THE salubrity of the air of Cheltenham has been an acknow- 
ledged fact and enlarged upon by the most eminent medical 
writers of the past century. The proofs which have led to this 
admission are to be found in the Registrar's reports, which have 
from time to time been issued, and to the longevity which the 
inhabitants generally attain. The average number of deaths for 
past years, compared with other towns of the same population, 
show how favourable the locality is to health. In 1832, when 
that dreadful scourge, the cholera, was destroying its victims by 
hundreds at the neighbouring towns of Gloucester and Tewkes- 
bury, not a single death occurred from that dire disease in 
the town, and during the raging of the epidemic there was an 
unusually small number of deaths from any cause. A still more 
decisive proof is to be found in the great age attained by the 
inhabitants, whether of such as are 

" Native and to the manor born," 
or of those who, from visitors, in pursuit of health and pleasure, 
have become from choice, enrolled amongst our residents. We 
purpose to put on record from an unerring authority — " the book 
of the dead " — some local instances of the prolongation of 
human life which, we presume, have never been exceeded else- 
where. 

" Cheltenham, from its position and other circumstances, may 
be regarded as one of those most favourably placed. The 



LOCAL INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY. 493 

general healthiness of the town, for a permanent abode, is 
clearly proved by the advanced age attained by a large propor- 
tion of the inhabitants, and in its comparative exemption from 
fevers of a pernicious character, and from devastating epi- 
demics." (Lee). 

"It was this purity and salubrity, combined with the shel- 
tered position of the town, which induced the late Sir Benjamin 
Bell, who considered the climate as mild as that of any portion 
of the coast of Devon, to select Cheltenham for the residence 
of his numerous consumptive patients." " So tempered is the 
climate, by the very circumstances of its situation, so bountifully 
has this favoured spot been adorned with all the charms of 
scenery, that it would seem as if in its formation the hand of an 
All-merciful Providence had devised it for the fountain head of 
health." (Weller). 

Dr. Gibney says that, " the climate of this place is particu- 
larly well adapted for health, there being neither great extremes 
of heat nor of cold. The yearly mean heat indicated by the 
thermometer for seven consecutive years, is 51 deg. 36 min., a 
temperature sufficiently indicative of the mildness of the 
atmosphere. The town is so sheltered by hills from the north 
and east winds that consumption and winter coughs are less 
prevalent than at other places ; and the hills are at such a 
distance as to attract a great proportion of the moisture, which 
would otherwise impair the salubrity of the air of the tow r n. 
The winds most common at Cheltenham are from the south and 
west, which are esteemed the least prejudicial to health." And 
Dr. M'Cabe further remarks that " there are neither sw-amps 
nor marshes to infect the air with their pestilential exhalations, 
and induce intermittent fevers, with their long train of conse- 
quences, which ultimately break the constitution ; nor cold nor 
'piercing icindz to drive the blood from the surface to the internal 
and vital organs, and occasion colds, catarrhs, and inflamations, 
which, in the variable climate of England, are too frequently 
followed by pulmonary consumption." 

" Some idea may be formed of the health of the town at the 
present not very healthy season, when we state that although its 
population is nearly forty thousand, the total number of burials 
during the last three weeks have been only eight ! There is, pro- 
bably, not another town in England of its size which can show 



494 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

such a low rate of mortality as is indicated by the above 
gratifying fact." — Cheltenham Examiner, Dec. 17, 1856. 

The population of the Cheltenham Union was, prior to the 
last census, over 44,000, and yet the Eegistrar General's report 
— made up to the 29th Sept., 1860, showed a decrease in the 
number of deaths compared with the corresponding quarter in 

1859. The number of deaths in the former period being 221 
and in the latter 170. The Cheltenham Examiner, of Nov. 21, 

1860, in publishing the tabular statement at length, observes — 
" From the above it will be seen that Cheltenham still holds its 
place as one of the most healthy localities in the county. Taking 
the death returns as showing the actual state of health in each 
locality, the returns give a result equally gratifying, as it places 
Cheltenham in the most favoured position among the other 
towns in the county. The above figures show that, by means 
of our sanitary improvements, our good town still maintains its 
position as standing A 1 among the cities of the kingdom in 
the books of the Eegistrar General." 

" Persons who come to Cheltenham directly find how suita- 
ble the climate is to health, which must be principally ascribed 
to the purity and salubrity of the air. Indeed, Gloucestershire 
is famous for the healthiness and longevity of its inhabitants. 
In the reign of James the First, eight old men, whose ages 
added together made eight centuries, performed a morris-dance. 
That some should reach the age of one hundred is not wonder- 
ful in several situations and countries, but that they should be 
able to dance is certainly a circumstance peculiar to this fine 
county." — Guide to Wateriny Places (Longman.) 

"In the neighbourhood of Cheltenham the air is soft and 
mild and even in the wintry season not ungenial to its 
lone-lived inhabitants- If the best proof of the healthfuiness 
of the air of any place is to be deduced from the customary 
longevity of the people, many very old persons are daily to be 
seen in Cheltenham ; and even the silent repositories of the 
dead are vocal, to record the great age of many of the town and 
neighbourhood." — Journey to Cheltenham Spa, 1781. 

" Among the spectators who witnessed the procession on 
Monday (inauguration of the Eussian guns) was a Mrs. Wintie, 
in her 94th year. The old lady listened with great glee to the 
Eoyal salute fired from the guns in Prestbury Park, and 



LOCAL INSTANCES OP LONGEVITY. 495 

appeared fully to enter into the spirit of the proceedings. To 
how many events of the past century must this woman's 
memory date back. She was a girl at the breaking out of the 
American War of Independence; was 17 at the time of the 
battle of St. Vincent, 23 at the breaking out of the first 
French Eevolution, and she can remember many occasions of 
national mourning and rejoicing arising out of the terrific 
struggles which followed that event. 1 ' — Cheltenham Examiner, 
July 7, 1858. 

The death of a well-known frequenter to the Cheltenham 
Market is also recorded in the same local paper of January 27th 
previous. 

"On Sundav last, in the hamlet of Woodmancote, Ann 
Kitchen, aged 105 years, breathed her last. Deceased was 
formerly a market woman, and as such attended Cheltenham 
weekly for many years. For the last two years, however, she 
had been bed-ridden, but possessed her faculties, both visual 
and intellectual, unimpaired up to the period of her death. 
Deceased was the oldest woman in the county. " 

" It may be satisfactory to those who feel an interest in Chel- 
tenham to be informed of the following facts : — The ages of 
the only five persons who were buried in Cheltenham during 
the past week, ending August 4th, amounted in the aggregate 
to 399, on an average of eighty years each ! And in the 
following week there were only two persons buried in the town, 
out of a population of 40,0uO; the smallest number on record 
in any one week for a great many years. It is also gratifying 
to know that during the portion of the year 1860, which has 
already expired, there have been considerably less deaths than 
there were in the corresponding period of last year." — Chelten- 
ham Examiner, Aug. 15, 1860. 

At the weekly meeting of the Board of Guardians at Chelt- 
enham, in July, 1861, it was officially announced by the 
chairman, Mr. Downing, that among the number of persons 
receiving parochial relief, " 370 are upwards of 70 years of age 
to 94 years of age, which is the age of the oldest pauper out of 
the house, although we have an older pauper in the house." 
At the present time there are two recipients of out-door relief 
who were 95 years of age last birthday. 

" One instance of longevity, and of the retention of bodily 



496 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

health and activity for nearly a century, is worthy of being 
recorded. In April, 1818, William Lake, a native of Bod- 
dington, died there at the close of his 99 th year. He was in 
the constant and daily habit of walking to Cheltenham and back 
again — a distance both ways of nine miles — until a few days 
previous to his death, and to the last he perfectly possessed his 
mental faculties." (Griffiths.) 

At a public dinner, given to celebrate the extension of gas 
lamps in the public streets from Cheltenham to Leckhampton, 
in January, 1862, among the guests present was an old inhabi- 
tant, named Purser, who had reached the advanced age of 
105 years ! 

" During the past month, an unusual number of aged persons 
have died in Cheltenham, no less than thirteen having been 
interred in our parish cemetery above 70 years of age. Of this 
number, eleven had passed their 75th year ; seven had exceeded 
80; four had passed 85; one had reached 99; and one died 
at 103. Their united ages make a total of 1071 years, or an 
average of upwards of 82 years to each person. These statistics 
are such as few towns in England, of similar size to Cheltenham, 
can boast." {Cheltenham Examiner, April 2, 1862.) 

In 1807, Dr. Jameson copied from the tombstones in the 
Parish Churchyard, the ages of 864 persons, the majority of 
whom were above 60 ; fifteen were 90 years old, and two 
hundred and twenty-five were between the ages of 65 and 96. 
Similar is the testimony of Moreau, who investigated the matter 
a few years previous. "In the year 1800," he says, "the 
churchyard bears record to the memory of 225 persons, who, 
within 80 years of the past century, died between the ages 
of 65 and 96." 

Buff, speaking of the Old Well Walk, remarks, " These trees 
were planted for Capt. Skillicorne by Mr. Andrews, a respectable 
surveyor of Cheltenham, who died in 1743 ; and a strong 
instance is afforded of the healthiness of the place, and how 
greatly it is conducive to longevity, that his widow died in 1803, 
aged 94 years, and had been sixty years a widow ; and her 
mother died at the age of 92 years." 

Por nearly half a century, there was an inmate of the Chelt- 
enham Workhouse, named Sarah Bradstock, who retained her 
faculties to the last, and lived to be within four months 



LOCAL INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY. 



497 



of 106 years. To perpetuate the memory of this local veteran, 
a monument was erected, at the public expense, over her grave 
in the New Burial Ground, where she was interred in 1847. 

Annexed is a list, extracted from the local registers, of some 
of the more aged inhabitants, with the year when interred, and 
the age at the last birthday prior to decease. 



INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY ATTAINED BY DECEASED 
INHABITANTS OF CHELTENHAM. 



Year of 
decease. 



Name. 



Age. 



1791 
1795 
1800 
1803 
1815 



1825 



1830 
1833 
1835 

1836 
1837 
1839 

K 

1840 
1842 
1843 



1844 



1845 



1846 



Hannah Leach 96 

Anne Hopkins 93 

Mary St< vens 92 

Anue Andrews 94 

Ann Angelic 9i 

Mary Lane 102 

Richard Sherrington 91 

Richard Lily 106 

Esther Stroud 1C4 

Thomas Williams 102 

Thomas Morgan 91 

Diuah Chestero 103 

Sarah Brown 98 

Eliza Harding 100 

Elizabeth Fry 103 

Robert Chambers 99 

Martha Williams 99 

Mary Betteridge 97 

John Brown 99 

William Pantin 96 

Elizabeth Workman 102 

Sarah Kingham 97 

Sarah Hiam 99 

Thomas Starr 90 

Sarah Wells man 90 

Ann Sweeney 92 

Benjamin Johnson 95 

William Holford , 92 

Isabella Rogers 91 

Francis Crompton 93 

Anne Blessauxnax 91 

Elizabeth -Weake 90 

Mary Smith 90 

Jane Heming 92 

James Hawkins 90 

Mary Page 90 

Anne Lowe 91 

Sarah Bagott 90 

Gilbert Jones 91 



Year of 



Name. 



Age. 



1846 


Elizabeth Little 


94 


1847 


Thomas Mason 


91 




Samuel Davis 


96 


c« 


Sarah Bradstock 


105 


cc 


Marv Gardner 


91 


It 


Caroline Tanner 


90 


1848 


Thomas Walker 


91 


cc 


Ann Griffith 


91 


it 


Ann Green 


92 


1849 


William Jordan 


99 


cc 


Richard Webb 


96 


cc 


W.Jordan 


90 


i< 


Elizabeth Champion 


90 


cc 


Elizabeth M. Keatiug 


97 


cc 


Elizabeth Pimble 


98 


« 


Ann C. Douglas 


92 


" 


Jane Rose 


94 


1850 


Sarah Kench 


90 


cc 


Francis Radnai 


93 


« 


Ann Webb 


97 


cc 


John West 


99, 


« 


Elizabeth Morgan 


92 


« 


Phillipa Shaw 


95 


1851 


Nicholas Allen 


90 




William Wilks 


91 


1852 


Mary Maisey 


97 


" 


Elizabeth Greening 


91 


cc 


Elizabeth C. Stephens 


91 


cc 


Rev. Sir R. Wolseley, Bart. 


92 


• 


Jane Johnstone 


94 


cc 


Charlotte Cotton 


97 


1853 


Ann Davies 


91 


cc 


Louisa Cook 


96 


" 


Ann Iredell 


92 


" 


Harriett Till 


94 


cc 


Martha Rose 


91 


cc 


Charlotte Scott 


104 


1854 


David Home 


91 


cc 


Elizabeth Cook 


97 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



Year of 
decease. 



Name 



Age. 



1854 Maria Ward 96 

Am ra Williams 91 

M. RawJinson 91 

" Lavinia Lenon 90 

1855 Sarah Sallis 92 

" Robert Lambert 93 

John Griffin 92 

" John J. Sextie 90 

" Thomas Jones 90 

" W T illiam Walkeley 90 

" Hannah Deeton 91 

" Major Browne 92 

" William Berry.. 93 

1856 Thomas Clutteihnck 90 

1857 Timothy" Callagan 9 '■ 

Elizabeth Taylor 96 

" Ann Vickerage ,. 97 

" Mary Belcher 94 

Sarah Mason ., 91 

Elizabeth Lee 91 

Ann Leonard 92 

Ann Clarke 90 

Mary Masters 92 

Moses Moses .,. 90 

William Griffiths 95 



7 J Name. Aae. 

decease. J 

1857 Richard Saunders 91 

" Catherine Flanney 98 

Ann Lovd 99 

1858 Letitia Barry 91 

" Charlotte Jacobs 94 

1859 Solomon Samuels 92 

" Sarah Parry 93 

" Kate Levison 91 

" Sarah Jones 94 

Charlotte Os'baldifcton 90 

Thomas Wells 90 

" Margarett Wooley 90 

" Thomes Hemin 90 

1860 Elizabeth Griffiths 97 

" John Karney 93 

" Mary Kingdom 92 

1861 Ann Town send 92 

John Hardy 93 

" John Baker 92 

Mary Durham 90 

" Ann Melvin 90 

Mary Martin 93 

Amy Webb 98 

1862 Bartholomew Cassidy 103 

" Charlotte Scott 100 



CHAPTEE XXVL 

O ! the old Elm Tree, that for ages past 

Has bow'd its majestic head 
To the gentle breeze and the sturdy blast, 

Still flourishes o'er the dead. 
And whenever I gaze on its aspect bold, 

Or give ear to its mournful creak, 
Do I think what a tale would it unfold, 

Could its leaves or its branches speak. — J. Carpenter. 

THE large number of trees, including almost every known 
variety, which grow in the parish of Cheltenham, by their 
beautiful foliage and diversity of form contribute greatly to 
impart that picturesque character to the Queen of Watering 



Maude's elm. 499 

Places for which it has been so long and so justlv celebrated. 
From time immemorial, one of these trees has acquired great 
notoriety among both visitprs and residents, in consequence 
of its past history being' interwoven witoh a tradition of romantic 
interest. It is called " Maude's Elm," and is so lofty in stature 
that it forms a prominent object for miles around. It is situate 
about a quarter of a mile from the road which forms the parish 
boundary at Swindon, and but a short distance from the centre 
of the town. The general iorm of the tree is graceful; and its 
boughs, ever green and verdant, overspread a considerable 
distance, whilst its gigantic proportions and towering height 
impress the beholder with awe and wonder. The trunk of the 
tree is 21 feet in circumference, and it appears to be in a healthy 
and solid state. The roots, laid bare by the constant tread of 
footsteps, extend several yards from the trunk into the public 
road, and present a novel and remarkable appearance. Swindon, 
with its old church, displaying a unique Norman tower, and ivy- 
clad walls, surrounded with its ever solemn grassy graveyard, 
together with the tasteful drives and plantations of Swindon 
Hall — has become, from its close proximity to the town, a place 
of favourite resort. Maude's Elm is passed on the journey to 
this sequestered village, and consequently it is located on a spot 
of increasing public thoroughfare. The rude blast for ceuturies 
has raged against this venerable elm, but, excepting a few upper 
limbs which have been dismantled, it has escaped uninjured. 
Gilpin, the most eminent describer of the picturesque in nature, 
in his account of our iocal scenery, particularly points to Maude's 
Elm as one of the finest trees in Cheltenham, It is nearly a 
century since he recorded the impressions which the wide- 
spreading elm had made upon his sensitive mind ; and, since his 
time, many thousands of visitors have bent their way to inspect 
its fine and graceful form. That celebrated character, the Duchess 
of Devonshire, (mother of the late Duke of Devonshire, of 
Chatsworth, and the patron of Sir Joseph Paxton), was such an 
ardent admirer of this noble member of the forest, that she was 
daily to be seen, during her residence in the town, taking her 
beat, and reading her favourite authors beneath the shade of its 
foliage. It was during one of these daily visits, that a little 
boy who had charge of a horse attracted the Duchess's attention. 
Struck with the intelligent expression of countenance in a youth 



500 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

so young and destitute, her Grace accosted him, and presented 
a donation. The boy, although only nine years of age, in return 
for this mark of kindness, related what he knew of the origin of 
Maude's Elm. The Duchess was so struck at the recital of the 
narrative, that she adopted the child, educated him, and he 
became a visitor to Devonshire House ! Her Grace, in after 
life, gave him capital on several occasions, to enable him to 
set up in business ; but his eccentric mode of living caused him 
to pass through many viccissitudes — one week rolling in wealth, 
and the next in abject poverty. He died at Cheltenham in 1844, 
This was Miles Watkins, so long known as " The King of the 
Cheltenham Royal Family." In 1840, the Duke of Devonshire, 
during his visit, had a drawing of the elm executed, as a 
memento of his mother ; and finding that Miles Watkins was 
still alive, and had attained his 70th year, he gave him pecuniary 
assistance, to enable him to live comfortably in his declining 
years. We present two illustrations — one which shows a distant 
view of the tree with Christ Church in the distance, as seen from 
Swindon Bridge, and the other the tree upon a nearer approach. 
We also avail ourselves of extracts from the works of three 
local poets, who have described in verse the history of Maud's 
Elm, and which were published in 1852. 

The adjacent village of Swindon retains, unaltered, its rural 
and ancient character, having escaped the hand of the innovator 
— a fact, no doubt, attributable to its quiet and retired position. 
The brook, as in days of yore, denotes the boundary of the 
village dwellings, and the approach from Cheltenham across the 
stream is still, as it was anciently, by way of a bridge. At this 
last-named spot was enacted the tragedy which gave birth to the 
traditionary history of Maude's Elm .The inhabitants of Swindon 
were one night alarmed by the shrieks of an aged and frantic 
mother, who declared that her only child was lost. The missing 
fugitive was an industrious daughter, who had been sent to 
Cheltenham with some spun wool, the joint produce of herself 
and mother. Her name was Maude Bowen, the pride of the 
village, who had just attained her majority, and was possessed 
of great personal attractions. Search was made in vain during 
the darkness of the night, but at daybreak a sad scene presented 
itself. In the brook lay the lifeless body of the beautiful Maude, 
which appeared to have lain there for some time. On the bridge 



maude's elm. 501 

close by, another corpse was discovered. This proved to be 
Godfrey Bowen, the uncle of Maude. An arrow had penetrated 
his heart : he grasped with his left hand the hand-rail of the 
bridge, and in his right hand ware some rent portions of 
Maude's dress. 

When night's last shadow had passed away, 
And the crystal drops upon every spiay 
Heralded in the blushes of day, 
A ghastly scene was revealed to the eye, 
That caused the blood from the cheek to fly ; 
For the stoutest villager gasped for breath, 
As he wildly gazed on the double death. 

On the dimpled bosom of a stream, 
That flowed unruffled as life's young dream, 
The Swindon maiden lav cold and dead, 
A holy calm o'er her features spread, 
As though her spirit in peace had fled. 
No midnight murderer's stab could be traced, 
No ruffiau blow had her beauty defaced, 
So 'twas thought, in the height of mad despair, 
She had cast away life and sorrow there. 

Old Margaret wept o'er the lifeless clay 
Of the budding blossom thus torn away ; 
But no flood of grief could awaken the dead,— 
The silvery voice was for ever fled. 

But the heart was pained with another form, 
By the murderer's hand made food for the worm. 

On a rustic bridge that spann'd the stream, 
Whence rose to the heavens Maude's stifled scream, 
Godfrey Bowen was stiffening there. 
His clotted blood tainting the morning air ; 
An arrow shot with unerring aim, 
Was buried deep in his heart of shame, 
While his right hand grasped with tenaciousness, 
A tattered shred of the virgin's dress, 

A mystery clouded the horrible deed, 
And heaven alone the truth could read ! 
For in those days of despotic wrong, 
Who dared to wag the insolent tongue ? 
Who dared to utter in faintest breath 
What the living thought of the maiden's death ? 
The lip was sealed, and the tongue was tied 
By bloated tyranny's power and pride, 
But there was ONE who viewed with a smile 
The headman's axe and the faggot pile ; 
He breathed his thoughts in the silent shade, 
And vowed revenge for the Swindon maid ! 



502 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Grtfdfrey Bo wen to the grave was borne, 
With not one neighbour iris fate to mourn ; 
"Fwas known lie was miserly, stern and odd, 
And laid not his heart on the altar of God ; 
'Twas known lie had tortured the widow's heart, 
And play'd to'rds Maude an ungracious part; 
'T.vas felt in the sorrow for her that was gone, 
The ruin was wrought by his baseness alone. 

— Clinton. 

Ill those ancient times, it was customary for the lords of the 
manor of Cheltenham and Swindon to elect their own coroners, 
who were generally residents, which enabled justice to be locally 
administered without delay. The lord of the Swindon manor 
at once summoned his coroner, and a verdict of " felo-de-se " 
was returned against Maude, who it was decided had committed 
suicide. According to custom, the body of the alleged self- 
murderess was ordered to be buried in the nearest cross-road, 
without Christian burial. 

Alas, for Maude ! a horrible doom, 
Denied her body a Christian tomb ; 
By malice, revenge and terrible hate, 
A coroner's verdict pronounced her fate. 
They dug her a grave on the king's highway, 
With no kind lips o'er her corpse to pray ; 
Thev buried her there in the dead of night, 
While the torcb.es flashed their lurid light ; 
No pall, no coffin, no virgin shroud, 
No relatives moaning their griefs aloud ; 
No priest to fulfil his mission just, 
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust : 
Was this enough for the vengeful foe, 
To the wormy bed uushnven to go ? 
No, not enough ; for a fearful thing 
Is revenge when it burns to leave a sting ! 
Justice was warped and the law defied, 
And the" maiden branded a suicide ! 
A stake was from an elm tree riven, 
And through the spotless body driven. 

—Clinton. 

A glance at the map contained in Ogilby's " Britannia," pub- 
lished by government authority, in 1675, from an ordnance 
survey, will demonstrate that the site of Maude's Elm must 
have formed the centre of a spot where four roads branched off 
— the one through Hard wick to Tewkesbury, and others to 
Cheltenham, Cleeve, and Gloucester. Here it v,as that the once 
fair and beautiful village maid was interred. In accordance with 



maude's elm. 503 

the fashion of the day, an elm stake was driven through her 
body, vvhieh, in process of time, grew to the stately tree which 
now exists, and which yet retains the name of " Maude's Elm." 

In those days it was the custom, when folks killed themselves, to thrust 'em 
Iu their graves without a coffin, without shroud or winrlin^-slieet, 
And wheu midnight winds were blowing, thus they buried fair Maud Bowen, 
In the grave which they had digued, where the four cross roads do meet. 
! sad death /'or village beauty, ! vile grave for one so sweet ! 

And it seems the elm stake snooted, in the maiden's body rooted, 
And with leaves and tender branches raised its head above the ground ; 
And so wond'rous was its growing, that it's noble head was showing 
Very shortly as the highest object in the country round. 

— Byrne. 

Margaret Eowen, the mother of Maude, was deprived of the 
means of existence by the death of her affectionate daughter. 
The shock which her enfeebled frame suffered at the sudden 
catastrophe, nearly proved fatal to her ; and she never after- 
wards, except at short intervals, regained her wonted cheer- 
fulness. Her distress was still further heightened by being 
ejected from her freehold cottage, which was seized by the lord 
of the manor, who claimed it as an escheat by virtue of the 
verdict of the coroner's inquest. Without a home to shelter 
herself, the distracted mother wandered from house to house in 
the village, and found among her neighbours mauy who com- 
misserated her ; but the thought of her dear child seemed ever 
to pervade her whole mind, and she grew more and more 
melancholy. At different periods she was missing, and then 
would again mingle with, the inhabitants of her native village, 
whose sympathy she had won by many acts of kindness. It 
seemed as if she was a wanderer and outcast upon the earth, 
and each time that she returned to pay her visits, it was observed 
that she looked more and more dejected. But, although not a 
regular visitant in the place of her nativity and among her 
friends, yet it was ascertained that there was one spot where she 
was generally to be found, and that was at her daughter's grave. 
The fond mother was daily, in all seasons of the year, however 
inclement, to be seen, with the affection of a true mother, 
shedding the tear of grief, watching and watering the elm tree 
which was growing from the stake which had so barbarously 
pierced the pallid corpse of her whom she loved most dearly. 



504 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

One morning, while seated at this place, as was her wont, her 
attention was arrested by an unusual procession of carriages and 
horsemen coming from Swindon. It proved to be the lord of 
the manor and suite on their road to Cleeve Church, to celebrate 
the christening of a first-born son and heir. The lord appeared 
annoyed at the position which Margaret occupied, and requested 
two of his attendants to go forward and to remove her before 
the cavalcade passed by. But neither threat nor persuasion 
could move the devoted parent from the last resting-place of her 
loved one, unconsecrated as it was. At length orders were given 
to obtain forcible possession of Margaret, but, just as the vassal's 
arm was uplifted, an arrow struck him to the heart, and he fell 
instantly dead. The arrow came from a thick wood, which then 
grew r on the side of the old Gloucester Road, but upon search, 
no traces of the archer could be found. By the lord's order, 
poor Margaret was seized, bound, and conveyed to Gloucester 
Gaol, charged with the twofold crime of murder and witchcraft. 

What cavalcade comes slowly on, 

With plumes and banner, mirth and glee ; 

The joyous scene will change anon 
To one of death and misery ! 

Sir Robert de Vere, and his lady fair, 

Bedecked with silks and jewels rare, 

Came forth from the Hall on that sun-lit day, 
Attended by knights, in waving plumes, 
And beautiful girls, whose choice perfumes 

As they passed along, scented the air ; 

And prancing steeds, with trappings gay, 

Garlanded o'er with flowers of May ; 

While pages, and vassals of every grade, 

Brought up the rear of the cavalcade. 

Where is it wending, that gorgeous train, 
So lavishly decked with the golden grain ! 
'Tis a day of joy, for that lady fair 
Hath blessed her lord with a son and heir, 
And the sinless babe they are bearing now, 
Por baptismal water to lave his brow : 
But little they reck of the terrible doom 
That will spread around them its pall of gloom, 
And change their joy in its hey-day flood, 
To bitterest sorrow, and tears of blood. 

" What "beggar is this that stops my path P" 
Sir Robert de Vere exclaimed in wrath, 
When he saw the form of the widow wild, 
Bent on the grave of her murdered child. 



maude's elm. 505 

" Hag ! Fiend ! and Witch ! why art thou there, 
To blast my sight with thy hoary hair ? 
I thought thy bones were rotting ere this — 
Do' st come to shadow ray new-born bliss? 
Up, up, and away, and cross no more 
My summer path like a stream of gore I" 

The form of Margaret moved not an inch, 
Not hers the spirit to cower, and flinch. 

" Thou bravest me ! but I know thy drift— 
Avaunt ! or I'll have thee caged, and whipt; 
Thy mummy skin and marrowless bones 
Shall be lashed, 'til thy heart with anguish groans." 

The mandate was heard, but heeded not, 
Meg's crouching form seemed glued to the spot. 

" Hubert ! advance," cried the Lord de Vere— 
- " This witeh is resolved my power to jeer ; 
Lay hands upon her, and drag her hence, 
A dungeon shall be her recompense !" 

From the gorgeous train came forth the slave, 
To tear old Meg from her daughter's grave ; 
When an arrow, shot with unerring aim, 
Pierced his heart as he seized the dame. 
He staggered, and fell like a heavy stone, 
And died without a struggle, or groan. 

The Lord of the Manor turned deadly pale, 

And his heart for a moment began to quail, 

For he thought of the unseen arrow that sped, 

And numbered Godfrey among the dead. 
"Drag hither the wretch !" at length he cried, 
" Yon slave is not the^r^ who has died 

From the sinful force of her potent spell ; 

She is in league with the fiends of hell ; 

Away with the witch to the dungeon's gloom, 

The fiery faggot shall be her doom !" 

Old Meg was forced from her daughter's grave, 
Unheeded the piercing shrieks she gave ; 
Her tears and prayers were of no avail — 
She lodged, that night, in Cloucester jail ! 

— Clinton. 

In a fortnight afterwards, the afflicted mother took her trial ; 
and with the aid of so influential a prosecutor as the lord of the 
manor, it was not difficult to obtain a verdict of guilty. The 
judge, in passing sentence, enlarged upon the necessity of 



506 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

severely punishing all who practised witchcraft, and ordered her 
to be burned to death on the precise spot where the lord's 
attendant had been shot, which was none other than her 
daughter's grave ! The sentence was carried out to the letter 
on the following morning. The unfortunate victim of the 
credulity of a past age, was brought in a rude cart from 
Gloucester, guarded by officers, and seated upon a bundle of 
straw, which was to kindle the flames that were to burn her 
alive. A heap of faggots had been piled, in a circular form ; 
and as Margaret was being led forth to the stake, to be tied up, 
a murmur ot pity and of regret ran through the assembled crowd, 
as they beheld the wan and emaciated form of one who, in the 
days of her prosperity, had ever acted with kindness and benevo- 
lence towards all. The lire was but just kindled, when the 
solemn silence was broken by the Lord of the Manor penetrating 
the assembly, and taunting the dying woman with exercising the 
art of witchcraft. He had not spoken many words before an 
arrow, from some invisibe hand, penetrated his person, and after 
uttering several convulsive groans, he fell dead at the feet of the 
burning Margaret. In a few moments afterwards the blazing 
pile seemed to have reached it height, the stake was heard to 
fail, and nothing was to be seen but a heap of mouldering ashes. 
An event so tragical exercised a great influence over the residents 
at the time, and the superstitious character of the age gave addi- 
tional colouring to the affair. Conjecture and speculation were 
continually at work to clear up the incidents, and the tree daily 
growing in size seemed to stand forth as a living monument of 
crime and punishment. The Lord of the Manor having perished, 
his property passed into the hands of strangers. The house 
which afforded shelter to Margaret Bowen was unoccupied and 
unowned. Nearly half a century had elapsed since the tragedy 
had been enacted at Maude's Elm, when the villagers were sur- 
prised at finding a stranger spending a large portion of the day 
beneath the elm, and also residing during the night in the 
decayed dwelling of the reputed witch : 

Above the grave of hapless Maude, 

The young elm tree began to shew 
Limbs, and proportions, strong and broad, 

While from the stately bod) grew 
Branches, and leaves, that shadowed o'er 
The root, so long baptized in gore. 



MAUDE'S ELM. 507 

Beneath that fre*sh-limbed, young elm tree, 

The unknown stood, and as he gazed 

The scene around, his eye was glazed, 
His care-worn spirit seemed to flee 

To days long vanished, and his trarae 
Shook like au aspen, when the wind 
Of Autumn blows upon the rind : 

Old age was dead, and he became 
A living youth as:ain. He threw 

His hat and staff upon tne ground, 
And kneeling near the elm tree, drew 

A sight Fro* sorrow's cell profound. 
A tear upon his pale cheeks strayed, 
While thus he mourned the Swindon Maid. 

When thou wert snatched from earth, my sainted Maude, 

All joys were gone ; 
I sou, lit the wars, the soldier's bloody trade, 

But still my heart was lone. 

Oh, thou hast been a lovely moonlight beam 

In saddened hours ; 
And I have strewed thy grave in fancy's dream, 

With wreaths of mountain flowers. 

Though Time hath laid his hands upon my head, 

My heart is young ; 
Though I have fainted upon sorrow's bed, 

To thee I still have cluug. 

E'en when I roamed the hills, a careless boy, 

My heart was thine ; 
I thought thou would'st have been a thing of joy 

And hope, in life's decline. 

With bleeding heart, I pluck a young green bough 

From that elm tree, 
Whose obscure root, some fifty years ago, 

Drew the dead blood from thee. 

Upon thy lowly grave, sweet love, I fling 

My weary bones ; 
'Ere long, we bofrh shall meet before the King 

Of Kings, and Throne of Thrones. 

—Clinton. 

The occupant of the long closed cottage was one whose 
appearance bespoke that he was verging upon fourscore years. 
This remarkable circumstance soon arrested attention, and upon 
giving his reason for desiring to end his days in that humble 
dwelling, the new comer was allowed uninterrupted possession. 
The narrative of his life he would often tell until it became 



508 HISTORY Ofc CHELTENHAM. 

familiar as " household words " to every villager. It was con- 
veyed from father to son, and thus orally, the traditional history 
of *• Maude's Elm" has descended down to our own day. The tale 
was published at Tewkesbury about a century since, under the 
title of " A true Eelation of Maude's Elm," but the work is 
now rarely to be met with, except in the library of the anti- 
quarian. The occupier of Margaret Bowen's cottage was, in 
fact, the hero of most of the remarkable events connected with 
her history. He was enabled to clear up all that appeared 
shrouded in mystery. His name was Walter, and his birth- 
place was Swindon. Erom his earliest years he had loved Maude 
Bowen, and was most ardently beloved by her. He was so 
skilled in the use of the bow and arrow, as to be called " Walter 
the Archer." Godfrey Bowen, the uncle of Maude, who was 
found shot on the bridge, was a most avaricious man, and in 
order to obtain possession of the freehold house which would 
revert to his niece at the mother's death, offered marriage to 
Maude. The girl indignantly refused the offer. No sooner 
had poor Maude escaped from this trial than she had to 
encounter one of a severer nature. The Lord of the Manor, 
having been struck with her great personal attractions, at once 
sought to make her his mistress. Maude repelled him with that 
moral firmness which ever shields and strengthens the virtuous 
from the attack of the seducer. Finding all persuasion useless, 
the Lord employed the uncle Godfrey to aid him to gain his 
unlawful end. This man, animated with the two-fold desire of 
acquiring gold for his unholy services for the present, and the 
future prospect of being possessed of the family freehold, became 
a ready tool. On the night when Maude was missing, Walter, 
her affianced, upon hearing of the affair, immediately sallied 
forth with his bow and arrows. He searched every thicket, and 
had almost despaired of finding her whom he loved, when the 
sudden shrieks of a female arrested his attention. It was dark, 
but he could discern the form of his Maude struggling with 
her uncle Godfrey, and the Lord of the Manor standing by. 
He drew his bow and shot Godfrey dead on the end of the 
bridge where his body was found. Thus at liberty, Maude fled, 
and Walter hoped that she had reached her house in safety, but 
alas ! her foot must have stumbled, and she found a watery 
grave. The Lord was observed to decamp in an opposite direction. 



maude's elm. 509 

Fearing prosecution for murder, if discovered, and knowing 
the revengeful character of the Lord, Walter fled, and no traces 
of him were found until he came once more to take up his abode 
amid the scenes of his early youth. He, however, lived not far 
off. On the main road to Gloucester, which then passed not far 
from the present " House in the Tree," under an assumed name, 
he kept an inn, where he lived in the fondly cherished hope of 
one day seeing the guilty punished. The locality of his resi- 
dence enabled him to soon learn all that was going on at 
Swindon. She who by right ought to have been his mother-in- 
law, found at Walter's inn a ready asylum, and there it was she 
spent those intervals of time when she was absent from her 
native village. Walter entered ardently into all her plans, and 
watched and guarded her from the thicket when she was seated 
on her daughter's grave. He it was who shot forth the arrows 
which killed both the Lord and his attendant, and thus he avenged 
on those who had deprived him of one whom he had hoped to 
have fondly called his own. Thus Walter had lived to see the 
author of his woes come to an untimely end. 

The wish was granted ; Walter Gray 
In Swindon lived for many a day : 
And oft the tear would cloud his eye, 
And oft his breast would heave and sigh, 
When he recounted perils o'er 
That girt him ou a distant shore ; 
When he the saddened tale would tell 
Of what the Swindon maid befell. 

Wealth when united to a title often exercises an undue influence 
in localities, and Might too often overcomes Eight. But Pro- 
vidence generally orders and overrules the best laid scheme of 
the most accomplished villain. The Lord, finding that so long 
as the mother of Maude was living, he could have no peace for 
his guilty conscience, resolved upon her death, and resorted to 
the plea of witchcraft to accomplish his purpose. He succeeded, 
but the same hour that his innocent victim perished in the 
flames, also witnessed his own most cruel death. He had buried, 
but a short time previously, his wife, and also his only son and 
heir. He was the last of his race, and with him died the family 
title, and the manorirl estate soon passed into the hands of 
strangers. Many generations have come and gone since he met 
with his well merited death. His name and pedigree, as if by 



510 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

way of retribution, perished with him. Cheltenham, then an 
obscure village, has become a large and populous town. New 
roads have been formed, and changes so great have been effected, 
that scarcely a relic of the past can be found. But amidst ail 
the revolutions which modern improvements have effected, 
Maude's Elm to this day occupies its original position : it stands 
a majestic monument to the memory of injured innocence. 

Eaeh year, the Swindon Maidens bound 

A votive wreath the grave around, 

And ever on the First of May, 

The sad recurrent of the day, 

When Margaret, and Mand$ were both 

Made martyrs unto fiendish wrath, 

They met, and sang this simple lay : 

Twine a wreath for the dead 

In her lowly bed . 
Gather the fairest flowers that bloom, 
To weave a garland of rich perfume, 
And solemnly let the token be laid 
On the hallowed grave of the Swindon Maid. 

The Snowdrop bring, 

Wan herald of Spring, 
The Pimpernel, and the Thistle down, 

Lustrous gems of every hue, 

Glistening with morning dew, 
Cull to embellish our Floral Crown- 
Twine a wreath for the dead ! 



CHAPTER XXVIL 

ONE of the most evident proofs that, as a nation, we are pro- 
gressing morally and socially, is the attention which the ques- 
tion of the Public Health has excited during the past few years. 
In this locality the movement has been watched with interest, and 
the inhabitants, through the medium of a legislative enactment, 
are reaping the advantages of the most modern discoveries. 
The past history of the town, as relating to the parochial 



SANITAEY HISTORY. 511 

regulations for preserving the Public Health, not only demon- 
strates the improvements which have gjne on, step by step, 
but it also brings to light many interesting incidents connected 
with three consecutive periods — when the borough was decay- 
ing from its ancient importance — when it was rising into 
popularity by the discovery of its Mineral Waters, — and when 
it had become "The Queen of Watering Places," with a large 
population requiring an * Improvement Act," to preserve and 
beautify its natural attractions. The sanitary affairs of the 
town were formerly managed by officers connected with the 
Manor Office. During the past century it was partially regu- 
lated by successive enactments, until the passing of an Act in 
1852, which extends its operations over the entire parish. 

TOWN IMPROVEMENT ACTS. 

The first legal attempt to regulate sanitary affairs was by an 
Act passed in 1786,— 26th George III , intituled " An Act for 
paving the footways and passages in the Town of Cheltenham, 
in the county of Gloucester, and for better cleansing and light- 
ing the said Town; for taking down certain old buildings now 
standing therein ; and for removing and preventing other 
nuisances and encroachments. " Twenty years afterwards 
another enactment was deemed necessary, and in 1806, the 46th 
of George III. came into operation. It was " An Act for 
amending and enlarging the powers of an act passed in the 
twenty-sixth year of his present Majesty, for Paving the Foot- 
ways and Passages in the Town of Cheltenham, hj the County 
of Gloucester, and for better cleansing and lighting the said 
Town ; and for removing and preventing nuisances and annoy- 
ances therein." This continued in force for fifteen years, until 
repealed by 1 and 2 of George IY., which is dated June 23rd, 
1821, and the rapid manner in which the town had increased 
in population is thus set forth in the preamble : — " And 
whereas, since the passing of the said mentioned act, the 
number of the inhabitants and the number of the houses and 
buildings in the town of Cheltenham, have greatly increased, 
and the said town has, on account of the salubrity of its air 
and mineral waters, become a place of great public resort. 5 ' 
Under the powers of this Act, forty-eight Commissioners, self- 
elected, regulated the parochial cleansing, paving, and lighting 



512 HISTOBY OP CHELTENHAM. 

for thirty years. But such was the rapidity with which the 
town went on increasing in extent and number of inhabitants, 
that even this modern Act became in time inadequate and 
inefficient. It was framed for the present, forgetting the future, 
and in language so ambiguous as to be capable of a two-fold 
interpretation. Thus, new streets which had been formed since 
the passing of the Act were not acknowledged by the Commis- 
sioners, and were suffered to go unrepaired. The Sewerage, 
too, was in a dangerous position. In the borough was situate 
6,541 houses, out of which number only 736 were belonging to 
the Cheltenham Sewers Company, so that upwards of 5,000 
houses had no legal outlet and might be compelled to stop up 
their drains and have resort to the contaminating practice of 
cesspools. These private sewers mostly emptied themselves 
into the Chelt, and so polluted the stream (once so celebrated 
for its purity as to yield fish in quantity), that effluvia arising 
from it rendered it a public nuisance. The repair of the public 
roads was placed in a most anamolous position by the Act, the 
Commissioners not claiming any jurisdiction over certain roads 
in the town whose united extent amounted to fifteen miles. 
For ten years, this portion of the borough was regulated by a 
" Board of Highways/' consisting of ratepayers annually 
chosen by the ratepayers. This continued until 1846, when its 
legality having been questioned, a surveyor was annually ap- 
pointed instead, up to 1852. The ancient hamlets are now 
essentially a part of the town, and some of the most fashionable 
houses are situate therein, including Lansdown, Bayshill, and 
Bath-road. The hamlets of Westall, Sandford, Naunton, 
Alstone, and Arle, which in fact commence in the centre of the 
Promenade, were not taken cognizance of by the Commis- 
sioners, and had separate surveyors. In a pecuniary point of 
view, this was most objectionable. Besides the Lamp and 
Paving Rate of the Commissioners, amounting annually to 
£5,000, there were separate rates for a portion of the town roads 
and hamlets, with separate surveyors and collectors. The rate 
for the township for roads averaged £2,300 annually ; for the 
hamlets of Westall, Sandford, and Naunton, £923 ; and 
hamlets of Alstone and Arle, £600. The most important 
portions of Cheltenham are what is called <f private estates. " 
These are Pittville, Lansdown, Montpellier, and Bayshill. 



SANITARY HISTORY. 513 

The Commissioners had no controul over the property of these 
delightful drives, and their continuance in their present attrac- 
tive form was sorely dependent upon private arrangements, 
while the owners were subject to annual rent charges tar more 
expensive in their nature than a public rate, and less secure in 
their tenure in a legal point of view. The residents upon 
these estates being either partially or wholly exempt from the 
payment of the Commissioners' rate, as well as some other 
portions of the town, the burden fell partially upon the residue 
of the inhabitants. By this system, £43,000 worth of assess- 
ments went entirely free from payment : the rateable value of 
the houses in the parish being £182,000, and the Commis- 
sioners' rate extending only to houses whose assessments 
amounted to £139,568. 

The defects in the Commissioners' Act of 1821 became daily 
more apparent, and produced inconveniences injurious to the 
interests of the town at large. To remedy the evil a public 
meeting was convened, at which it was resolved to take advan- 
tage of the Publio Health Act, 11th and 12th Victoria. The 
required number of signatures having been obtained, a memorial 
was forthwith forwarded to the Board of Health, and the result 
was a local investigation b\ E. Cresy, Esq., Superintending 
Inspector. Mr. Cresy opened his court of inquiry at the 
George Hotel, February 22nd, 1849, and continued sitting daily 
until he had acquired all the necessary information. In the 
November following his report was issued, and occupied forty- 
six closely printed pages. It detailed at length all existing 
regulations with a most able classification of statistical facts. 

The facts of the case having thus been made known through 
the aid of a government enquiry, the subject was fully discussed 
in all its bearings. It was however soon discovered that inde- 
pendent of the provisions of the Public Health, there were 
matters of importance which it would be desirable to incorporate 
with it, but which could not be legally done. The best mode 
therefore appeared to apply to Parliament for a local Act founded 
upon Mr. Cresy's report, with such additional clauses as a 
fashionable town required. A committee was chosen at a public 
meeting to carry out this object, consisting of inhabitants repre- 
senting all interests, trades, and opinions. After a lengthened 
deliberation they framed a Town Improvement Bill, consisting 



614 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

of 155 clauses, and introduced it into Parliament in the session 
of 1851. It was opposed by petition from a portion of the 
inhabitants, but the petition in its favour received the larger 
number of signatures, It passed the House of Commons, but 
was rejected by the House of Lords. The inhabitants in public 
meeting assembled decided upon again pressing the Bill in the 
next Session, and re-elected the same committee with power to 
cairy their wishes into effect. A Bill, in substance similar to 
the previous one, and containing 135 clauses, was presented to 
the House of Commons in the Session oi 1852. It passed both 
Houses successfully, and on May 28, 1852, received the Royal 
Assent. It is entitled, "An Act for better paving, draining, 
cleansing, supplying with water, regulating in regard to markets, 
interments, hackney carnages, and other purposes, and other- 
wise improving the Borough of Cheltenham in the County of 
Gloucester." This Act, which is remarkable for perspicuity, is 
strictly the product of local talent. S. H. Gael, Esq., was the 
consulting counsel ; Mr. G. E. Williams, the Magistrates' clerk, 
and Mr W. H. Gwinnett, the Clerk to the Commissioners, were 
the solicitors. Viewed in all its relations, the passing of the 
Town Improvement Act may be regarded as one of the most 
important events connected with the modern history of Chelten- 
ham. By giving to the ratepayers the power of periodically 
electing thirty Commissioners, the public will have a guarantee 
that residents who have an interest in the place will be chosen 
to manage the local affairs. Armed with power, not alone to 
prevent but to remove all that can injure health, annoy the 
inhabitants, or disfigure the town, we doubt not that, as time 
flows on, good results will be witnessed. The operations of this 
Act extend to the entire parish, and rich and poor alike will 
receive its benefits. The Act was put in force immediately upon 
its passing, and the first meeting of the new Commissioners was 
held at the Public Office, on June 7, 1852. J. A. Gardner, 
Esq , the Lord of the Manor, was elected chairman ; J. Fallon, 
Esn., barrister-at-law, vice-chairman; and Mr. G. E. Williams, 
the first clerk. 

The Cheltenham Improvement Act of 1852, is a most volu- 
minous document and shows the amount of pains taken by the 
original authors in collecting together every thing that could 
protect the interests of the town. It contains 136 sections, 



SANITARY HISTORY. 515 

besides incorporating by reference only, 106 from the two 
Public Health Acts, 45 from the Commissioners' Clauses Act, 
36 from the Town* 5 Improvement Clauses Act, 58 from the 
Town Police Clauses Act, 23 from the Cemeteries' Clauses Act, 
130 from the Lands' Clauses Consolidation Act, 49 from the 
Public Baths' Act, 8 from the Poor Rates' Recovery Act, and 38 
from the Nuisances' Removal Act. The total number ot sections 
amount to 653. The whole of these valuable clauses were classified 
and arranged and the immense mass of legal matter published in 
one volume, in 1853, by a local solicitor, Mr. Septimus Pruen, 
and it will ever form a most valuable work of reference 

As an illustration ot the mode of raising loans for local pur- 
poses, and the manner of transacting business under the old 
Commissioners' Acts, we annex the following advertisement 
from the Cheltenham Chronicle of 1810 : — 

"At a meeting of the Commissioners, appointed under the Cheltenham Paving 
Act. holdea this day at the Town Hall, in Cheltenham, it was resolved, that in 
consequence of the large expenditure which lias been incurred in the numerous 
alterations and improvements ot trw Town, it has become necessary to have 
recourse to an extraordinary rate for the present year only. 

Cw That therefore the present valuation of the property in the town be increased, 
in the proportion of adding thirteen pounds to every twenty pounds now rated; 
and that a rate of five shillings in the pound be raised on the said compound 
valuation, and asse>sed accordingly, m ou the several houses, shops, offices, 
garden-, public wells, buildings, tenements, ;ind premises chargeable by the Act; 
and that the Clerk do give notice, that such rate will be allowed by the C "mmis- 
sioners, at the r next meeting on the first d»y of January next ; nn ess iu the 
meantim a sum shall be raised sufficient in the opinion of the Commissioners to 
rendpr such a rate unnecessary. 

"11th December, 18l0. 

" At the same meeting, the following gentlemen agreed to advance the sum of 
one hundred pounds each by way of loan at £5 per cent, viz — Doctor Jenner, 
Colonel Rildell, Thoma* Gray, Esq , Doctor J « meson, William Read, Esq.. Thos. 
Pruen, Esq., 13. Wells, Esq , W. H. Jessop, Esq., Mr. Edward Smith, Frauds 
Welles, Esq,, T. Gwinnett, Esq , and C. Newmarch, E>q." 

Public Sfwers. — Until 1833, with the exception of a few 
ancient drains claimed by the Commissioners, the only sewers 
for the town were the open brooks and ditches and private 
drains. A joint-stock company, comprising- residents interested 
in the locality, was formed, and. went to Parliament lor a bill to 
legalize their object. On April 20, 1833, the royal assent was 
given to the bill, 3 William IV., " For the better sewage, 
cleansing, and draining the town of Cheltenham, in the county 
of Gloucester." The great want of such an Act may be 



516 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

gleaned from the preamble :— -" Whereas the town of Chelten* 
ham, in the county of Gloucester, has greatly increased in 
houses and buildings, and the same is become large and popu- 
lous, but for want of sufficient and proper common sewers and 
drains, much inconvenience has arisen, and is still likely to arise ; 
but such inconvenience might be prevented, and the health and 
comfort of the inhabitants greatly improved, aud much public 
benefit obtained, if proper and suitable common sewers were 
made for effectually cleansing and draining the said town." This 
incorporation was styled the " Cheltenham Sewers' Company." 
It was empowered to raise capital of £7,600, and to in- 
crease it by a further sum of £5,000, and to raise £4,000 by 
mortgage. The length of the main sewer in the High Street is 
2,200 yards, and of the sewers which branch from it into the 
adjacent streets, 3,692 yards, making a total of 5,892 yards of 
sewers. These were executed in a most substantial manner at a 
cost of £7,600. In 1849 it was stated in evidence at the 
Government inquiry, that the number of houses which used the 
sewers of the Company was 736, and that the annual amount 
of the sewers' rates paid by the owners was £718 7s. The 
houses thus benefitted were situate in 19 streets. The increas- 
ing wants of the town required a still more effectual sewerage. 
Powers were properly taken under the Improvement Act of 
1852, to sewer the entire parish. To carry this desirable object 
into effect the Commissioners purchased all the property of the 
Sewers' Company, so that all the drainage is now under the 
control of the body corporate. 

This purchase, with the plans since adopted with regard to the 
sewage, has tended to perpetuate that celebrity which it has so 
long enjoyed, by removing and preventing all causes of pollution. 
The rights of the Sewers' Company and all their property and in- 
terest in the matter passed into the hands of the Improvement 
Commissioners, in 1857, for the sum of £9,000. The last of the 
additional sewers since added, and the extent of sewage may be 
learnt from the Borough Surveyor's Eeport in 1857 : — 

Miles. Qrs. Yds. 

Brick Sewers 14 310 

PipeSeweri 1 2 245 

Together ... 15 3 115 



SANITARY HISTORY. 517 

£ s. d. 

I estimate these to cost 13,036 2 

Add to this the cost of the purchase of the Sewer 

Company's works 9,000 

Making a total of 22,086 2 

The extent and operations of the new Improvement Act is 
manifested by the annual financial statements issued by the 
corporate body. In the account published in July, 1862, the 
receipts and expenditure for the past year are stated to be as 
follows ; — 

Abstract of the Receipts and Payments of the Cheltenham Improvement 
Commissioners, from the 30/A day of September, 1860, to the 30th 
day of September, 1861. 

Receipts. — Bain nee of last Account, £3,590 14s. 5d. ; Commissioners' Rate 
£15,001 6s. 6d.; Snle of Ashes, per Inspector, £106 12s. 10d.- Sile of Manure, 
per Surveyor, £134 0s. 6a. ; Licences, per Mr. G, E. Williams, £38 15s. 0d., 
Street Repairs. £264 13s. lid.; blouse Drainage Works, £113 15s. Od. ; John 
and Samuel Harpur for Road Repairs, £60; Sundries, £12 10s. Od. — Total, 
£19,322 8s. 2s. 

Payments.— Highways, £4 012 % Id. ; Scavenger, £1,985 fis. 3d. ; Paviour, 
£602 Is. 8d. ; Salaries,* £1,439 14s. Od. : Tradesmen's Bills £165 17s. 5d.; 
Rates and Taxes, £50 16s. 7.1. ; Fire Brigade, £23 10s. 6d.; Gas Company, 
£4,318 16s. 7d.; Annuitant*, £240 0s. 10d. ; Rents £132 18s. 2d.; Fire Plugs, 
£248 4s. 0d.; Sundries viz., Borings, Flushing Sewers, and Petty Disbursements, 
£106 18s. 10d.; Repairs to the Ar,;h over the Ohelt, £98 6s 6d. ; Valuation of 
Literary Instirurion, £25 4s. 01 ; Messrs. Lloyd, Price and Co., Interest and 
Repayments <>n Loans, £799 Is. 4d. ; Election Expenses, £88 9s. 6d.; Sewer 
Tanks, £354 9>. 0d. ; Fairvltew St re t Improvement, £68 7s. lid.; House 
Drainagt Works, £255 3s Id,; Special Repairs to Streets, £586 16s. 8d. ; Mr. 
Hawkt-slev, for inspecting site for Cemetery, £31 10s. Od. ; Balance in Treasurer's 
hands, £3,638 8i. 3d.— total, £19,322 8s. 2d. 

BURIAL GROUNDS. 

The Burial Grounds within the parish, together have an area of 
5 acres, 3 roods., and 32 perches, and the New Cemetery on the 
parish boundary 18 acres. The most ancient is the ground 
directly around the Parish Church, which, until the erection of 
Trinity Church in 1826, was the only place of interment accord- 
ing to the rites of the Church of England. That portion of 
the churchyard which terminates with the walk leading to the 
Well Walk and Chester Walk, is crowded with memorials of the 
dead, as is also the church within ; and from the designs of 
some of the decayed stones, it is evident that the spot has been 
used as a place of sepulchre ever since its first consecration. 



518 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

This ground, until within the past half century, was private 
property, being held by the lay impropriator, J. Pitt, Esq., of 
whom the parish bought it in 1806, for the sum of £100. 
This being inadequate to meet the wants of the population, an 
additional piece of land adjoining was purchased for £700. 
This was immediately facing Chester Walk, and the vestry meet- 
ing to sanction the purchase was held on August 31st, 1812, 
the ratepayers agreeing to pay the amount in annual instalments 
of £100, with interest at the rate of five per cent. The ground 
is filled with tombs and vaults, where repose the remains of 
many persons of note, and among the number, the mother of 
the late celebrated Duchess of St. Albans, and several ancestors 
of James Wood, the rich banker, of Gloucester, who were large 
local owners of property. The rapid increase in population 
soon forced the ratepayers to seek fuither means of meeting the 
demand for interments. In 1829, the matter was discussed in 
successive vestry meetings, and it was ultimately resolved to 
take advantage of the Church Building Acts for raising the 
means of purchasing ground. By virtue of the powers of 
S George IV , the New Burial Ground in High Street, at the 
bottom of the town, was conveyed upon trust for the parish ; 
the sum of £4,500 was the cost of purchase and erection of 
Chapel thereon, which was raised by loans of £150 and £100 
each from persons resident in the town. This was secured by 
bonds, one of which was to be paid off annually, with interest 
at the rate of five per cent., and a rate to be annually levied to 
eff. ct that object until the whole amount should be discharged. 
The New Burial Ground was consecrated and opened on Sept. 
19, 1831. The deed authorising the purchase and empowering 
the Churchwarden to levy rates for the redemption of the pur- 
chase money is among the Vestry documents, and is as 
follows : — 

"Whereas, the Inhabitants of Cheltenham, in the County of Gloucester, being 
desirous of procuring a Burial Ground for the saic' Parish, in addition to that 
alieadv existiug, it was agreed at a meeting of the Parishioners of" the said Parish, 
of Cheltei hanr in Vestry assembled, to purchase the ground from Ann. Ballinger 
and others. 

"Now, We, his Majesty's Commissioners for Building New Churches, acting 
under the authority of the said several Acts passed for building and promoting 
the building of additional Churches in populous Parishes, being of opinion that 
the said Pieces or Parcels of Laud are sufficient and properly situated for the pur- 
pose aforesaid; and approving of the times and proportions which have been 



SANITARY HISTORY. 519 

agreed upon for the repayment of the sum of Four Thousand Five Hundred 
Pounds; do hereby, in pursuance of all powers and authorities wlia's >evi-r 
vested in us for this purpose, authorise »nd empower the said Parish of Chelten- 
ham, 10 procure and purchase the sud Pieces or Parcels of Land, at the p-ice of 
Th i ee Thousand Pounds, for the purpose aforesaid, and to fence and enclose* the 
same; and to make, levy, raise, and collect Hates, fur the purpose of raising and 
repaying the said sum of Three Thousand Pounds to be paid for the purchase ; 
anu i he said sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Pounds, the cost ol enclosing 
the said Land, with Interes' at the rate of Fi*e Pounds per cent, per annum, at 
the times and in the proportions aforesaid; and of paving the Expanses inci- 
dental to the said Purchase. 

"Given under our Common Seal, this Fifth day of February, One Thousand 
Eight Hundred and Thirty" 

Like the two preceding purchases by the parish, the entire of 
the debt on this extensive cemetery has been paid off. At the 
Easter Vestry meeting in 1858, the auditors reported that "the 
whole of the bonds belonging to the Burial Ground, amounting 
to £4,500, were discharged, and that the churchwardens would 
in future have at their disposal an income of £200 annually 
arising from vaults and graves." At the close of the meeting 
the following resolution was carried unanimously, with acclama- 
tion : — Moved by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mr Goding, " That 
the thanks of this Meeting be tendered to William Hasell, Esq., 
for his past services as Parish Churchwarden, and more 
especially for the successful efforts which he has made during the 
eleven years of his holding office, to entirely liquidate the debt 
upon the New Cemetery, and thereby rendering it the free and 
unencumbered property of the parish for ever." — Cheltenham 
Examiner. 

In 1861, it having been estimated that only a short period 
would elapse before this very suitable cemetery would become 
full, the Improvement Comm ssioners took the matter into con- 
sideration. This corporate body having powers under their Act 
to purchase ground for interments, advertised for a site. Among 
the many which were offered, the choice fell unanimously upon a 
plot of land in Prestbury, the property of the Eev. J. Edwards. 
This New Cemetery is eighteen acres in extent, and was pur- 
chased at the rate of £190 per acre. It is situated just on the 
margin of the parish boundary, and is easily approached from. 
any part of the town. The sale was ratified by the Commis- 
sioners in June, 1861 ; and in July, 1862, Mr. Knight's plan 
(a resident architect) was accepted for laying out the ground. 



A. 


te. 


p. 


1 


1 


11 


2 


3 








1 


12 








35 








20 





1 


18 








14 








14 








14 








22 








38 








16 








18 


18 









520 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

According to the Board of Health returns, the extent, situation^ 
and designation of the burial grounds in Cheltenham are as 
annexed : — 

Name. Situation. Extent. 

St. Mary's Church High -street 

]New Burial Ground High-street 

Trinity Church Portland-street 

St. Philip's Church Norwood-street 

St. Peter's Church Tewkesbury-road 

Cheltenham Chapel High-street 

Unitarian Chapel Bays-hill 

The Jews' Ground Tewkesbury-road , 

The Quakers' Ground ... Grove-street 

Bethel Baptist Chapel ... Chapel-street 

Wesleyan Chapel St. George's-street 

Highbury Chapel Grosvenor-street 

Tabernacle Chapel Bath-road 

New Cemetery Prestbury 

THE WATER WOKKS. 

The geological structure of the locality enables the inhabitants 
to obtain an abundant supply of water. The Cotswold Hills, 
which sui round the town like an amphitheatre, abound with 
springs, and from the subsoil of retentive clay which forms their 
base, they gush forth, so that every dip of strata has its rill, 
and every valley its brook. The oolite rocks, which compose 
these hills, form the great storehouse of nature for collecting the 
falling rain, and converting it into, what is called, " hill water. 5 ' 
The lias formation beneath not admitting of percolation, the 
filtering water necessarily escapes from any opening which may 
present itself. Hence the origin of so many pure springs in the 
vicinity. The far-famed " Seven Springs,' 3 the source of the 
great river Thames, from whence the Cheltenham Water Works 
Company derive their supplies, is situate in the neighbourhood. 
The lias forms the soil upon which the town is built, and is the 
retentive basin of the sand bed — the source from whence the 
wells are supplied. The number of houses situate on the sand 
bed are 4,806, and on the clay beds there are 1,735. Besides 
the inhabitants who are dependent upon the pump water 
contained in the sand beds, there are nine public pumps, 
belonging to the Commissioners, which, on the average, supply 
30,000 gallons daily. 

Until within the past thirty years, the town was wholly 



SANITARY HISTORY. 521 

supplied by the means of wells sunk into sand beds, and the 
many beautiful springs of the suburb were suffered to flow on 
unnoticed. The great increase in population at length forced 
attention to the subject, and the result was the establishment of 
the Cheltenham Water Works Company. The chief operations 
of this company are carried on at an eminence adjacent to 
Hewlett's or Agg's Hill. The ground is enclosed, and the 
entire works have been executed in the most substantial manner. 
From this spot, a most extensive and picturesque view of the 
town may be obtained, and i: the Reservoir," as it is called, is 
well worthy of inspection. The water which constitutes the 
company's " stock " is obtained from the adjacent hills of North- 
field, Charlton, and Dowdeswell. According to tLe unanimous 
opinion of medical men, the water supplied by the company is 
of a high state of purity. It has been analysed by Dr. Lyon 
Playfair, and by resident physicians and chemists, — among the 
number, Dr. Boisragon, Mr. Moss, and Mr. Horsley. The 
"Waterworks Company are empowered by Act of Parliament, 
passed in 1824, and by an amended Act in 1847. The wants 
of the town prior to the formation of the Company, and the 
great necessity for its operations, may be inferred from the 
preamble of the Act, which runs thus : 

"Whereas the town of Cheltenham is at present scantily supplied with pure 
water ; and, whereas, the said toun has, of late years, become very populous, and 
is greatly increased in house* and bu.ldings, and is likely to continue to increase; 
and for the want of a sufficient supply of spring water for domestic, and other 
purposes, the inhabitants thereof, and persous resorting thereto, are subject to 
much inconveuience, and would be liable to great danger and most calamitous 
consequences in cases of accidents by fire ; but such inconveniences and danger 
might be prevented, and much public benefit obtained, if water from the springs 
arising so near the said town, were conveyed, by means of pipes, to the said town 
and suburbs thereof. Dated June 17, 1824/' 

By this Act, the capital created was £17,500, with power to 
raise, in addition, £13,750; and, by the amended Act, the 
Company was authorised to obtain £25,000 more. Under the 
original Act, £49,100 3s. 6d. was expended upon the works ; 
and under the amended Act, up to the year 1849, £12,495 
8s. 3d. more, making a total of £61,595 lis. 9d. The 
reservoirs are so elevated, as to supply water to the highest 
houses in the town without the aid of machinery, being 100 ft. 
higher than Bayshill, the highest point of supply, and 240 ft. 
higher than the Hospital, the lowest point of supply. The two 



522 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

smaller reservoirs hold 2 88,000 cubic ft. of water, and the large 
one 2.286,900, thus making a total of 2,574,900, or more than 
two millions and a half cubic feet of water. The large reservoir 
is open ; and, when filled, presents a fine sheet of water, covering 
an area of 3 acres of land, and having a depth of 17 ft. 6 in. 
It was constructed after designs by Mr. H. Dangerfield, the 
late borough surveyor, and will contain 9,000,000 gallons. The 
smallest is 80 ft. square, and 12ft. deep; the second is 150ft. 
by 160 ft., and 12 ft. deep. The three reservoirs hold together 
14,OUO,000 gallons. The water is conveyed into the town, a 
distance of upwards of two miles, by 592 yards of 7-in., and 
3,321 yards of 6-in. iron main. Its distribution afterwards is 
by 2,842 yards of 5-in., 6,031 yards of 4-in., 22,686 yards 
of 3-in., 1,746 yards of 2i-in., and 2,023 yards of 2-in. iron 
mains; the total quantity of main being about 26 miles, 1,721 
yards. Up ware's of 2,000 houses are supplied by the Company, 
consuming daily 146,888 gallons, average 72 gallons per house. 
Thus 53,836,120 gallons are annually distributed, being nearly 
four times the quantity which the reservoirs contain, which fact 
shows the value of these extensive works to the town at large. 
There are nearly 200 plugs belonging to the Company, available 
in case of fire. The springs which supply the reservoirs flow 
freely from October to May ; but during the months of June, 
July, August, and September, they are at times nearly dried up. 
The Northfield spring produces 52 gallons per minute, and those 
at Dowdeswell and Charlton 32 gallous during the last-named 
months. This estimate is founded upon the extent and size of 
the reservoirs up to 1857. In that year, a new reservoir was 
commenced, at Hewletts, 25 ft. in depth, which has materially 
increased the Company's supply ; and in 1862, another one was 
resolved upon, at the base of Leckharapton Hill. The past 
history of the Company's works, and the necessity for a further 
enlargement of the same to meet the requirements of an in- 
creasing population, may be gleaned from the very able speech 
of the counsel for the promoters of a new Act, made before the 
Parliamentary Committee, from which we publish extracts : — 

"Mr. Hope Scott proceeded to open the case on the part of the promoters. 
The learned gentleman observed that the present was a bill to consolidate and 
extend the powers of the Cheltenham W*ter Works* Company, and to enable 
them the better to supply with water the several parishes of Cheltenham, Charlton 
Kings, Leckhampton, and Presbury, otherwise Prestbury, all in the county of 



SANITARY HISTORY. 523 

Gloucester, and for other purposes. The present supply of water dated from the 
year 1824 and was hased upon the circumstance that the wells of tl<e town were 
deficient in quantity, and were likely to become slill more so as the | opnh.tion 
incie?ised Cheltenham is s'tuate upon a basin of wet sand; and in many 
ins anc^s where a well was constructed, the sewers ran into it. To say mostly 
that the supply could be got only by the puir p handle and the bucket, the quality 
of the water was as bad as its quantity was defic ent. Upon a recital of these 
facts, a bill was passed, and a company was established, t<» secure a belter >upply 
of wati r The capital of the company was originally £17,000, with a borrowing 
power of £5 000. This first company began with conduits and pipes, and 'he 
erection of a reservoir 200 it. above the level of Cheltenham at ; harltoti K ngs. 
The first act comprised merely ihe town of Chel enham. In 1839 an- ther act 
was obtained for extending its operations t<> Charlton K ngs and Presibury. By 
the same act also, the company was empowered !o construct works at D udeswell 
and ( harlton Kings springs. They were also empowered to make an additional 
reservoir, and they constructed one next io their original reservoir. Th»y ciea'ed 
fresh shares, and had fresh borrowing powers. In 1847, the company agai went 
to parliament !or increased powers, ai d they had now the power to raise £55,675 
in shares, and £18,541 on mortgage, making a total capital of £74,1 G6, ol which 
there had been laised the sum ot £50,750, viz. £45,150 by shares, and only £5 (iOO 
on mortgage. The sum of £23 216 was still unrated. The last act i etjui ed the 
company to construct an additional reservoir, and they built one capable of 
holding twelve millions of gallons of water. He should be able io show th,t the 
comp ny had dealt fairly and lightly by the public, while, lor some y« ars, they 
had derived 7 or 8 per cent. ; but it should be b.rne in mind, that th< re were 
many en remunerative years in the first stage c ihe company's existem e,- they 
had no dividend for the first 6 or 7 years. In 1852, an act pissed which altered, 
in n any respects, the position of the comp. my. lie alluded to the ' Ch> It en ham 
Improvement Act,' whose commissioners were invested with very larg* powers. 
Not only were they empowered to comph te the sewerage of the tovn, b t they 
also acquired the power to cons' met Water Wotks. Such powers were now given 
every local act; but the intention of the legislature was, that no public body 
should undertake the supply or' wa'er so long as a pr'vate body could afford it at 
a reasonable price. He believed ihere was no disposition on the pari of the Town 
Commissioueis to interfere with this salutary provision. The Commissioners had 
constructed a large extent of sewerage works, and, without an incr< asfd supply 
of water, these works could not be made effective. Accordingly, in Jure, lbo3, 
a report, made by Mr Henry Dangerfield, their surveyor, was laid beh n the 
Commissioners, and by them forwarded to the Wat- r Works' Company. From 
that tcpoit, it appeared ihat j\lr. Dangerfield considered a pn per su| p \ ol v\ater 
for the tnwn to be 700,000 gallons per day. At the pnsent mon ent, the works 
of tie company were not capable of supplying one-t.iru of that quantity, and 
could not do that, on the constant pressure system— the water beii g now laid on 
little more than an hour in each day. Cisterns became necessaiy, and the suppy 
was by no means good. The quantify did not amount to more thnn loin gallons 
per head per day, while the lowest supply deemed necessary by competent judges 
is 20 gal:ons per head per day. In Manchester, the daily supply is 4u gallons 
per head ; and in Glasgow, it is 60 gnllons per head. No coubt manu acturtng 
towns require more water than such towns as Cheltenham, but 2U gal.ons was 
a very moderate estimate. The street watering was carried on to an extent of 
luxury, rendered necessary by the nature of the place. The wa>er procured trom 
the wells is hard and bid, the town teing built on a bed of sard stoi e. It was 
also limited in quantity, and had lately much decreased by the sewerage works. 
The deep sewers dried up the wells. The present supply ot the company was 



524 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

from springs issuing from the side of the Cotswold Hills. The geological 
formation of the country was such, that, while it had few streams, it abounded in. 
springs. The North springs yield a daily supply of 75,000 gallons, but from 
that must be deducted 9,000 gallons to parties having claims. Those springs 
were taken under the first act. The Dowdeswell spring was taken under the 
second act, and it yields 43,000 per day, subject to a small deduction for cattle. 
The Charlton spring yielded 10,000 gallons per day. This was all the Parlia- 
mentary water the company could take, and it amounted to 128,000 gallons per 
day. By a contract with. Mr. Billings, who appeared as an opponent, but whose 
interests would be respected, that quantity was increased to 168,000 gallons, 
which gave an average of four gallons per head per day. The means of storing 
the water were very abundant One reservoir would hold 400,000 gallons, 
another 15,000 gallons, and a third would hold 12,000,000 gallons. All that the 
company wanted was an increase in the water supply itself. The water now 
supplied was admitted to be excellent, showing only 11 degrees of hardness, and 
fit for domestic use. The spring proposed to be taken was of the same character, 
and there would be an abundant pressure from the head." 

In order to illustrate the early efforts made to obtain a supply 

of pure water, we extract from the Cheltenham Chronicle, 

of 1810, the following advertisement : — 

" Should the inhabitants of Cheltenham think it of any utility, I will engage 
to supply the whole town with Soft River Water, at one guinea per year each 
dwelling-house ; with engine cocks, pipes, fire plugs, &c, &c, complete. The 
engine shall throw two hogsheads per minute, when required, in case of fire. 
People who wish such a plan to be brought forward, and would have the water 
laid iuto their dwellings, must send in their names to me, any time before the 
25th December next, in order to form an idea of the expenses oi erecting such 
Works ; and should it meet due approbation, the whole will be completed by the 
1st of May, by their obedient, humble servant, 

" Joseph Horwood, 
"December 5th, 1810." "Engineer. 

In November. 1861, Mr. Horsley, the County Analyst, pub- 
lished the following favourable analysis of the water supplied 
by the Company from their reservoirs. The total quantity of 
solid contents per gallon, was — 

Grains, Organic Matter. 

In 1851 - - - - - 9 including \\ 
In 1861 Hi « 2 

The following is a complete Analysis of the Hill Water at the 
present time : 

Grains. 
Carbonates of Lime and Magnesia 6^ 

Muriate of Lime - - - -.., . - - - - 1^ 

Sulphate of Lime ------- 1^ 

Organic matter derived from vegetables % 

" " animals - - - - none. 

Per gallon 11| 



SANITARY HISTORY. 525 

THE GAS WORKS. 

A few years since, the High Street of a night presented the 
appearance of a village ; flickering oil lamps illumined the 
darkness, whilst the town at large, except when done at private 
expense, went unlighted. Iron posts, belonging to private 
lamps, yet remain in the front palisades of the .Royal Crescent, 
and elsewhere. An Act enabling the Commissioners to light the 
town, was passed in 1786 ; and on January 16, 1787, a contract 
was entered into for erecting one hundred and twenty lamps, 
twenty-five yards apart. This contract provided that the lamps 
should be lighted with oil in the autumn and winter months 
only, to burn until midnight ; but, " when the moon rises at ten 
o'clock, or before then, the lamps are to burn bright only one 
hour after the moon rises." This system of lighting was so 
imperfect, that, in 1810, a proposition was actually made that, 
owing to the state of the streets during the evening, and to 
prevent accident, the many black posts on the edge of the foot- 
path should be painted white ! In 1818, some of the influential 
inhabitants went to Parliament for a Gas Act ; and the Koyal 
assent was given, April 6, 1819, to a bill " for lighting with gas 
the town and parish of Cheltenham, and precincts thereof, in the 
county of Gloucester." The capital of the company was £ 1 5 ,000 
in shares of £50 each, with power to raise an additional £10,000. 

The first application of gas fur promoting the interest and 
comfort of the fashion of the place, was by the lighting of the 
Montpellier Promenades on July 21, 1825. On the opening of 
an evening service at the Parish Church, in 1838, the company 
offered to supply gratuitously the gas for lighting the edifice. 
On Sunday evening, Jan. 13, in that year, the church was 
accordingly lighted with gas, and the company continued to 
supply it, without any charge to the congregation, up to the 
temporary closing of the church in 1859. The company also 
supply gratuitously the gas lamps over the Sebastopol cannons, 
opposite the Queen's Hotel, and the clock in a tower rising from 
the centre of the company's works, illuminated by gas during 
the night, which is of great public convenience to the locality, 
mostly occupied by the humbler classes. 

The first lighting of the town is thus recorded in the Chelt- 
enham Chronicle, of Oct. 1, 1818: — " On Tuesday, Messrs. 
Kelly, Baitley, and Mauley, fulfilled their contract by lighting 



526 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

the town with gas On the 19th we were gratified 

by seeing the whole of the High Street illuminated by this 
beautiful light, which assumed its usual brilliancy towards 
midnight, when the atmospheric air had escaped from the main 
pipes " 

We believe that the Cheltenham Gas Act was the first public 
enactment passed in Fngland. Gas had been us d in Birmingham 
by the celebrated Watt, the inventor of the steam engine, and 
by several shopkeepers in that town. " In London, it first made 
its appearance in 1816. St. James' Park w r as first lighted by 
that means, which did not become general till 1823." (Eev. 
S. Lysons.) Gloucester followed the example of Cheltenham, 
and obtained an Act in the year 1819 

The inventor of gas lights, according to Chambers, was a 
Frenchman, Philippe Le Bon, an engineer of roads, who pre- 
pared his gas from distilling wood during combustion, in 1785 ; 
and it is a singular coincidence that this invention, although of 
French origin, was not adopted in France untill the year that 
the Cheltenham Act was obtained — 1818. The following 
extract from Godwg's Cheltenham, 1852, gives an account of 
the company's works as existing at that time . — 

"The gas works on the Tewk p sbury Road, occupy an enclosure of two acres. 
The chimney, so prominent all around the vicinity, is 113 ft. in height. Forest 
and VVelc coals are used in the manufacture of gas. The works contain a report 
house, where there are thirty two ovens, or retorts. There are ten dry purifiers, 
whose united area is 370 feet ; there are three times this number of superficial 
fee' on which the lime lies two inches in thickness each of the purifiers having 
three tiers The four gasometers severally contain 23,000, 24,000, 15,000, and 
15,000 cubic feet, or together 82,000 cubic feet. During the \ear, the average of 
coal used is 3,313 tons, from which 28,962.200 cuhic feet of gas are < btained. 
There are now 786 lamps in the streets of the town, supplied by this company 
with gn , at the public expense. They are the property of the commissioners 
actiny unner the Town Improvement Act, who contract for lighting he same, 
and charge the amount upon the borough rate. Independent of these, there are 
lamps Mttached to estates and residences. The number of private con>umers is 
nearl> one thousand." 

Larire as this increase may appear compared with the past, the 
size and powers of the works have, since then, been more than 
doubled. The works are now under the management of. W. 
Essou Esq., a gentleman who has had considerable experience 
in Scotland, and under whom the latest improvements in science 
have been adopted in the manufacture. 



SANITAKY HISTOUY. 527 

The large increase in the size of the town rendered it necessary 
for the company to obtain more extended powers. Consequently 
a new Act was obtained in June, 1856 It was stated at a 
commissioners' meeting in July 14, 7 858, that the company's 
capital was £56,000, and that they received £4,200 annually 
for gas supplied to the public lamps. The commissioners' 
report issued in July, 1861, shows that the cost for public lamps 
for the previous year, was £4,299. The estimated cost for the 
year 1862, was £4,600, the number of lamps having been 
increased to upwards of 800. The value of the company's shares 
has greatly increased, as shown by the prices obtained at public 
auctions, where, in 1857, the £ 100 share realized £190; and 
in 1861, the same shares were sold for £196, or nearly double 
the original cost. The average interest paid to shareholders for 
many years past, has been eight per cent., besides a bonus. 
The present extent and powers of the works may be inferred 
from the following official statement : — 

" The area covered by the works is nearly five acres. The carbonizing power 
is equal to 500,000 cubic leet of gas per day, with arrangements for more than 
double that amouut. The condensing, washing, and purifying capacities, are 
proportionate to the carbonizing power, and permitting ot corn sponding extension. 
The present storage or gas holding capacity, is 400,000 cubic feet, and is being 
enlarged to full) double that quantity. The distributing power of the street 
mains is equal to the demand, and is constantly being enlarged and extended." 



628 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Chronological 3Ebmts comuctetr Inttjb t&e ^ofon autr 
J^rigf)toouii)oo&, 

COMPILED EXPRESSLY POR " NORMAN'S HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM." 



INTRODUCTION. 

It may be as well for the better understanding of the following 
Chronology, to explain that Cheltenham appears to have been an 
important military station during the Early British, the Roman, 
the Saxon, and the commencement of the Norman periods. In 
those predatory and unsettled times, the inhabitants were in the habit 
of seeking refuge in periods of danger in the entrenched encampments 
on the surrounding hills; and, of course, whatever tribes obtained 
possession of these encampments were able to dominate over the 
inhabitants of the adjacent plain. The town appears to have suffered 
severely during the Civil Wars, and from that epoch of its history 
commences a long period of decline and comparative insignificance. 
In the reign of Elizabeth, on the petition of the inhabitants on the 
ground of poverty, the right which the town had long possessed of 
sending two members to Parliament fell into disuetude ; and from that 
time until towards the close of the eighteenth century it appears to 
have degenerated into the condition of a mere village. Thus, in 1666 
the inhabitants numbered only 1,500, and the inhabited houses 321. 
"While 130 years later, in 1797, the inhabitants had only increased to 
2,700, and the houses to 530. About this time, however, the discovery 
of the mineral waters gave an extraordinary impetus to its extension 
and prosperity; land which was before merely pasture and tillage 
became covered with streets, promenades, and villas. In 1811 the 
inhabitants had increased to upwards of 8,000 ; in 1821 to 13,388 ; in 

1831, to 22,942; in 1841, to 36,617; while in 1861, the census for the 
parish alone gave a return of 89,590 inhabitants, and 7,013 inhabited 
houses. Other returns during the same period give similar results. 
Thus in 1559 the yearly entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials 
were respectively 20-6 and 32; these numbers continued with scarcely 
any increase for the next 200 years, as we find in 1731 the returns were 
26-16 and 32 ; in 1805, they had only increased to 90-49-83 ; while in 

1832, there were 635 baptisms, 258 marriages, and 415 burials. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 529 

Prom these figures it will be seen that the present epoch of the 
town's prosperity dates from the accidental discovery of its mineral 
waters, now upwards of a century ago. It was this which first brought 
royalty— and that influx of nobility and fashion which follows the 
train of royalty— to the then unknown and insignificant village ; and 
although the fame of its waters has now in some degree subsided, it 
has ever since continued a place of fashionable resort; while the estab- 
lishment of its many noble educational institutions,— its College, its 
Grammar School, its Normal School, and its Ladies College,— has 
made it a most desirable place of permanent residence, and greatly 
added to its material prosperity. 

It should be stated that the events ^ recorded in the following 
chronology are partly culled from the preceding History, and partly 
from the newspapers of the day. Mr. Goding must, therefore, not be 
held as vouching for the correctness of any facts, or statements, or 
opinions, which are not contained in the body of the work itself. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 

The British Era. — Up to the middle of the first century of the Christian 
Era the country round Cheltenham, as well as the other parts of the Island, was 
exclusively inhabited by the Ancient Britons. The " History" records numerous 
instances of the discovery of fortifications, cromlechs, sepulchres, urns, coins, 
bones, and the rude implements of warfare, in use arno ig that ancient race. 
Coins of Queen Hoadecea, found in the neighbourhood, are still in the possession 
of local antiquarians 

A.D., 43. The Roman Period. — The Romans conquered this part of the 
country in the middle of the first century, and they held their conquest tor a period 
of 400 years. We read that in the year 43 the Roman General Plau'ious 
attacked the Britons* army and completely routed them, and drove them 
from the Cotswolds ; the Emperor Claudius himself capturing the City of 
Gloucester, which was thenceforth named after him, Clevum or Claudia. The 
conquerors took possession of ail the encampments on the surround ii g hills, and 
enlarged, altered, and generally converted them into R< man military stations. 
The Roman additions to the British encampments, alonu the Cotswolds, may still 
be readily traced. They established a chain of watch-towers and posts on the 
Leckhampton, Cleeve, and Nottingham Hills. They also established great 
military roads of which the u Ermine-street" between Glonces'er and ' irencester, 
the %< fossway " through Cirencester and over the Cotswolds towards Scotland, 
and the ** Icknield-street " which formed a route for marching into W.les, are 
in existence at the present day. (History, pp. 12—15.) Milner in his History 
of England says tha: "the Dobuni (tribes inhabiting Gloucestershire and 
Oxfordshire) gladly received the Roman yoke to relieve themselves from the 
oppression of their neighbours." 

AD. 50. About this year Christianity is believed to have been first prenched 
in the neighbourhood. Lys<ms says, '• Gloucestershire was probanlv the first 
county of England to embrace the Gospel." 1 ht same writer says that of the 
325 parishes in the county, in upwards of one-third Roman remains have been 



530 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

discovered ; and he brings forward arguments to prove that the Gospel was 
preached in Gloucester by the Apostle Paul himself. (History, pp. 12 — 24.) 

280. Vineyards are spoken of has having been planted at this time in the 
neighbourhood of Cheltenham. Abundant proois are on record that at a later 
time they were in existence and yielded large quantities of wine, much of which 
was exported to foreign countries. The cultivation of the willow " for binding 
their vines " shows that these vineyards were c liivated by the Romans; and 
the mention of " selected places for vineyards" occurs in the earliest Anglo- 
Saxon charters which refer to this part of Gloucestershire. (History, p. 25.) 
In proof that the soil and climate of Gloucester then were considered, from very 
early times, to be exceedindly fruitful, we quote the following passage from 
" Fuller's Ancient Worthies" — " Some say that this shire was anciently the most 
fruitful portion of all England ; and they say now that such is the fertility ol the 
soil near Slimbridge, that in spring time, let it be bit bare to the roots, a wand 
laid there over night, will be covered with new-grown grass by the morning." 

A.D. 577. The Saxon Period. — The Saxons under Claivlin and Cuihwine 
defeased the Romans in a great battle at Derham, in this county, and thence- 
forward became masters ot the Cotswolds and the adjacent country, including the 
two Roman cities of Gloucester and Cirencester. 

584. First Saxon King ruled over the towns of the Merci n Kingdom, includ- 
ing Cheltenham. The town occupied a central position between the two 
royal Mercian palaces at Gloucester and Winchcomb. 

790. A Priory of Benedictine Monks founded about this date ; the site of the 
building is now occupied by the houses Nos. 403 and 404, High-street. 

803* At a synod held in this year at Cleveshoe, the Priory at Cheltenham 
was the subject of warm discussion 

888. A monastry dedicated to St. Michael and founded by King Offa in the 
neighbouring vilbige of Cleeve, was granted in this year to the Bishop of Wiccia 
by King Alfred the Great. (History, p. 54.) 

1041. King Edward the Confessor became Lord of the Manor of Cheltenham, 
and granted it a charter. The tenants of the Manor at that time had under them 
a number of szrvi, or slaves, in a state of absolute bondage. 

1046. William the Conqueror became Lord of the Manor, and made consi- 
derable additions to its extent and population. The total area after these 
additions was about 1 200 acres ; the area at the preseut time is 3,387 acres 

1080. In this year William the Conqueror held his Parliament at Gloucester 
at which the survey of EngL.nd, known as Doomsday Book, was decided on. 
In 1084 and 1085 the King and his Court were again in the neighbourhood 
6everal days. 

1084. At a synod held this year mention is made of a " Priory " and also of 
"a Church and its Chapels at Lhintenham." 

1086. Doomsday Book completed. In this document the town is described a* 
being " Terra Regis," or King's land, and is spelt " Cheintenham ;" in 1120, the 
name on the Cirencester Abbey Rolls is spelt " Chinte< he ;" in 1143, it is spelt 
" Chilt ;" and it was not until the Manor Act of 1 625 that it is found spelt as at 
present " Cheltenham. 

1087. William Rufus became Lord of the Manor. 

1117. On two houses adjoining the ancient market-house being pulled down, 
in 1807, a massive stone was discovered profusely ornamented with Norman 
devices, and with the date 1H7 clearly legible. The remains of a Norman 
foundation, of about the same date, have been discovered near the north porch of 
the Parish Church. 

1110. Henry I. became Lord of the Manor. 

1115. Died, Hardinge, son of second King of Denmark. He came over 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



531 



with the Conqueror, took the name of Fitzhardinge, married Eva, the Conqueror's 
niece, and settled in Bristol, where he became a Canon, and founded St. 
Augustine's Abbey, now attached to Bristol Cathedral, where he lies buried. His 
son, Maurice, married the daughter of Roger de Berkeley, and became the founder 
of " the noble House of Berkeley." (History, p. 86) 

1 133. Curacy of Cheltenham given to Cirencester Abbey ; soon after this it 
was enriched with six estates, one of which was given by Sir Walter Hawkes,the 
first local Trusader. 

1135. The Manor passed to King Stephen, who held it until 1154. 
1154. Henry II. and Queen Eleanor became its joint possessors. In the 
same year Walter de Hereford took it on lease, and held it until 1156. 

1154. Mention is again made of vineyards being still cultivated in the 
neighbourhood. 

1177. Jane Clifford, known in history as "Eair Rosamond," from Rosa- 
mundi, or the rose of the world, from her incomparable beauty, died in the 
Nunnery of Go 'stow, aged 37. She was daughter of Lord Walter Clifford, of 
Erampton-on-Severn, who endowed the Nunnery with the rental lor ever of a 
meadow and mill out of his ivlanor of Erarapton. 

1190. The churches of Leckhamp'on and Charlton, " made subject to the 
mother church of Cheltenham," by the Bishop of Hereford. Two chantries at 
Arlean.l Hatherley, ana the recently restored Nonnda Chapel at Southam, were 
under the same jurisdiction (History, p. 155.) 
1199. K>ng John became Lord of the Manor. 
12 0—1300. Supposed date of Piscina in Parish 
Church. 

12' 0—1300. Supposed date of ancient cross in the 
Parish Churchyard. 

1200—1300. Supposed date of two stone coffins 
found in Parish Church, ^Jay. 1863, supposed to be 
coffins of Abbots of the Monastery, and now exhibited 
in the Churchyard. (HUtory, pp. 162—166.) 

1200— 1300. By the Ancient Charters Inhabitants 
of the Manor were exempt from tolls and taxes; they 
also had their own conns, with extensive criiniual 
jurisdiction, and elected their own coroner. The 
"gallows" stood in the present Hale's-road. 
12 1 6. The Manor passed to Kinjr Henry IILj 
12i6. King Henry III. give the Manor to William 
Long Espee, the illegitimate son of the celebrated 
" Eair Rosamond," and who afterwards became Earl of 
Salisbury, md had assisted at the coronation of the 
cester, in 1216. 

1250. Tie date " 1250." found inscribed on a b^am in Arle Chapel. 
13i6. Aug 21, was fought the celebrated battle of Cressey. Sir Richard 
de-la-Bere ob'aineti his family crest — five ostritch feathers issuing out of a ducal 
coronet, — for gallantly saving the life of Edward the Black Prince on that 
eventful day. Lord Chandos, whose remains are interred at Sudeley Castle, and 
several members of the families of the Berkeleys, the Sherbournes, the Hicks, 
and the Tryes, fought under the Black Prince. A body of Gloucestershire 
" Volunteer?," under Maurice Lord Berkeley, formed part of the victorious 
army ; and Smi'h, in his "Lives of the Berkeleys" highly eulogises the valour 
of these Gloucestershire "rifles" of the olden time. (History, pp. 112—116.) 

1370. Thomas, Lord Berkeley described as having " a large vineyard, which 
he tended with great care." 




' Infant King," at Gloa- 



532 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1441. By an Act passed in this year the " lay people" of the *' towne" of Chelt- 
enham were released from the localtaxes on account of the poverty of the place. 
1466. Sir Maurice Berkeley purchased the lease of Cheltenham Manor. 
1468. Up to this time Cheltenham returned two members to Parliament. The 
practice was discontinued in consequence of a petition to Queen Elizabeth from 
the inhabitants complaining of the expense. 

1471, May 3. Edward IV. passed through Cheltenham with an army 
" consisting of 3000 infantry and a large body of cavalry" on the eve of the 
Battle of Tewkesbnry. The army marched that day 36 miles from Sodbury 
(Cheltenham then being on the high road from Bath), and taking slight 
refreshment here passed by way of Elmstone Hardwicke and Treddington to 
within three miles of the hostile encampment, where they passed the night Sir 
Maurice Berkeley fought valiantly on the king's side next day ; and the result of 
the battle is thus described: — "The royal monarch on the following day was 
declared the victor on the battle field. The undaunted Margarett and her 
unfortunate husband, Henry VL, were soon inmates of the Tower. The heir 
apparent to the crown, her youthful son the Prince of Wales, was murdered — the 
Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III., openly assisting in the act. But 
such are the revolutions which Providence brings about. Henry, Earl of 
Richmond, who was on the Queen 8 side, fled to the continent, and in fourteen 
years afterwards slew this same Richard III. at Bosworth Field, in the identical 
*suit of polished steel armour,' in which he was victorious at Tewkesbury — 
ascended the throne by the title of Henry VII., married a Yorkist, thus uniting 
the 'white and the red roses,' and for ever put an end to the strife of the rival 
families." (History, p. 76.) 

1486. The Trye family became possessors of the Manor of Leckhampton. 
Johu Trye was nominated by Richard III. Mayor of Gloucester in 1483. [In 
reference to this entry, the Rev. S. Lysons, of Hemstead Court, has kindly fur- 
nished us with the following correction: — "I have seen an abstract of it — the 
* History of Gloucestershire' — in the 'Examiner,' and would wish to point out 
one error which strikes me. The family of Trye did not become possessed of 
Leckhampton in 1486, but in 1797, when my uncle, Mr. Trye, succeeded lo the 
estate b\ the will of his cousin, Benry Norwood, Esq. Hardwicke Court, near 
Gloucester, was the ancient family seat of the Tryes, who were of French 
extraction, and connected with the highest French nobility, as well as the royal 
family of France. The first de Trie who settled in this country is supposed to 
have been taken prisoner by one of the Barons of Berkeley, in the French wars,, 
and brought to England, where he subsequently married into the family of his 
noble captor, and ended in founding the English branch of the Trye family, 
temp, Edw r ard III. The Tryes are descended from Dreux de Chaumont, temp* 
"William the Conqueror. Several of the family have been Grand Constables and 
Grand Admirals uf France— one of them Archbishop and Duke of Rheiuis."] 

1507. Date on key stone of the arch of an old "church-house," or poor- 
house, which existed at the entrance to the churchyard from Chester Walk. It 
was demolished in 1813. 

1509. Richard de Cheltenham, the first recorded "Abbot of Cheltenham," 
died. He was elected Abbot of Tewkesbury Abbey in 1481, and assisted at the 
funeral oi the renowned Prince Arthur, at Worcester, in 1502. 

1540. Date of Judge Greville's tomb in Parish Church. 

1555. First entry in present Court Roll of the Manor. 

1565. In a work published in 1781 is a statement that the tobacco plant 
brought to England in 1565 was first planted ou English ground in this parish 
(Cheltenham), and " yielded considerable produce and profit, to the inhbitants." 

1574, August 31st. From an entry in the vestry book of this date, it appear* 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



533 




that clergymen were designated " Sir"— thus : " Sir John Evans, Cnrate of 
Cheltenham." 

1578. Cheltenham Grammar School and 
Alms' Houses founded hy Richard Pates. 
(The subjoined likenase of Richard Pate is 
handed down to us in a rare and curious 
engraving of the period.) 

1597, Feb. 27th. Curacy of Chelten- 
ham leased to Francis Bacon, E?q , after- 
wards Lord Chaucellor, the renowned 
statesman and philosopher. 

1603. "Lodowick Packer, Esq., gave the 
third hell to Parish Church." 

1607— 16 14. Dates on two head stones 
in Parish Church. 

1612. Died, Sir Michael Hicks, who 
purchased and settled at Witcomb Manor, 
where his descendant, Lady Cromie, still 
resid?s. 

1620. Baptist Hicks was knighted in 
this year by James I. Created Viscount 
Campden by Charles I., he became the 
purchaser of Cheltenham Rectory. He settled at Campden, where he built a 
mausion covering eight acres, and costing£30,000. During the Civil Wars he 
destroyed this princely building rather than it should be garrisoned by Crom- 
well's troops — an act to be regretted, as the house was never approached by 
the Parliamentary forces. 

1622. Date, carved on stone of south front of Parish Church tower, supposed 
to reer to the time of some extensive alterations. 

1624, Feb. 21st. Customs of the Manor settled by agreement between the 
copy hollers and Prince Charles; the former paying the Prince £1,200 for his 
consent to the act. 

1625, Aug. 1st. Manor Act received the Royal assent. The costs of 
obtaining the Act were — In the Lorus, £51 16s. 8d. ; in the Commons, £19 5s. ; 
total, £74 Is. (For copy of Act, Jurors' Report on the boundaries given at 
same time, and numerous other documents, see History, pp. 43-73.) 

1628. The Manor of Cheltenham purchased of the Prince of Wales by Mr 
Dutton for £1,200 It remained in the Dutton family 215 years, and when sold 
by Lord Sherborne, in 1843, it realised £39,000. Odart, the founder of the 
Sherborne family, was a warrior of great strength and courage, and had given to 
him as a reward of his bravery ■■ all the bulls out of the spoils taken in Wales." 

1628. A gallery at west end of Parish Church erected by Mrs. Norwood. 
Removed in 1813. 

1629. Thomas George, who died in this year, left three shillings and four 
pence per annum for the preaching of a sermon on " Separable of ye sower" 
some time during seed time in each year. 

1629. June 3. First Manorial Court under the new Act held in Cheltenham. 

1630. By a publication of this date it appears that no widow or daughter of a 
copyholder of the manor was allowed to marry without the " Lord's " licence. 

1633. Date of interesting correspondence respecting Lord Bacon and the 
Rectory (pp. 190 — 194). In this year the stipend was £10 yearly, which Earl 
Salisbury described as 4< a scandal to the church of God." After this the Curate's 
stipend was fixed at " forty pounds a-year." 

1634. In January of this ye.tr the town was visited by a snow storm which 



534 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

lasted tot three weeks. It was accompanied by violent storms of wind, which 
caused considerable damage to the houses. Many persons perished on the high- 
ways in the environs. The summer which followed was noted for its extreme heat, 
yet, notwithstanding so thick was the snow and ice of the preceding winter, that 
large quantities of it remained unthawed at the adjacent quarries of Brock- 
hampton. 

1638. List of church property handed over to new churchwardens, amongst 
which are "one groate Bible," " Booke of Souls, worked in a duet," " one hour 
glass'" and "one paire of fyne green carpets wrought we niddle work." In the 
same document it is also stated that the amount of church money then in hand 
was one shilling and niuepence. 

1643. September 5th. Battle of Cheltenham between the Royalists and 
Parliamentary forces. (History, pp. 218—235). 

1643. November 6th ; and July 12th, 1644. Charles I. visited Sir Charles 
Pope, Earl of Downe, at his seat at Cubberley, the Royal forces being at that 
time stationed in the neighbourhood of Cheltenham. 

1643. Death of wife of Dr. English, incumbent, who died of a broken heart 
through her husband's persecution and imprisonment by the Puritans. 

1651. Captain Conway Whithorne, of the Whithorne Lovesey family, present 
under Charles II. at the Battle of Worcester. 

1652. Proceedings m Parliament against the tobacco plantations in Chelten- 
ham 1658. Troops sent from Gloucester to destroy the plantations; driven 
back by the inhabitants. 1675. Cheltenham described as populated by a people 
" much given to plant tobacco, though they are suppressed by authority.," Sir 
Francis Drake is supposed to have first introduced the plant in this neighbour- 
hood. 

1660. Friends' Meeting-house built. The old building is now transformed 
into two cottages, next to the new Meeting house in Manchester -walk. 

1655. After a very abundant harvest the price of wheat at Cheltenham was 
seventeen pence per bushel, and barley one shilling and two-pence. 

1675. December 21st. Eirst record of appointment of highway surveyor* 
by the vestry. 

1675 In a "geography" of this date is a reference to Cheltenham as "in. 
extent six furlongs: it numbers near 200 houses." 

1678. At this date a cow sold for £4 7s. 6d. ; carpenters were paid about 
Is. 2d. a day ; butter sold for 5d., and bread at a Id., per pound. 

1680. November 19th. Died, William Prynne, Esq. His tomb exists in the 
Parish Church. The founder of the Prinu family was the celebrated William 
Prinn. He published in 1633 his Histriomasfizy for which he was tried before 
the Star Chamber and condemned to the following sentence : " That his book be 
burnt by the common hangman ; to be put from the bar, and to be for ever in- 
capable of his profession; to be turned out of the society of Lincoln's Inn; to 
be degraded at Oxford; to stand in the pillory at Westminster and Cheapside; 
to lose both his ears, one in each place ; to pay a fine of £5,000 and to suffer 
perpetual imprisonment." These cruelties were carried into effect, and he was 
confined in the tower, but, nothing dauDt^d, he still plied his pen, and was again 
tried in 1637. and sentenced to be branded, to be put in the pillory, to pay a 
further fine of £5,000, to have the remaining portion of his ears sawn off, and to 
be imprisoned in a dungeon in Carnarvon Castle. He remained in prison almost 
forgotten, until the restoration, when, in 1640, he was released and made a 
triumphant entrance into London, and was again advanced to great wealth and 
diguity. With his accumulated wealth he purchased the beautiful estate of 
Charlton Park, and his family have ever since been intimately connected with the 
history of Cheltenham The ancient family crest surmounting the pillars at the 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



535 



entrance of the family mansion— a spread eagle issuing from a coronet— is truly 
characteristic of the military courage of the present owner, Sir William Russell. 

1683. G. Townsend, E&q., endowed a scholarship at Pembroke College open 
to the pupils of Cheltenham Grammar School— present value £50 per annum. 

1690. The celebrated John Pnnn was steward of the Manor. From records 
of this date the <l Lord" was allowed to erect " gallows, piliories, and tumbril, 
for the punishment and judgment of malefactors," the latter article being a 
"ducking stool" for the cure of scolding women. 

1697. Bells of Parish Church re-cast by Rudhalls of Gloucester. 

1697. Entry in vestry books of issue of new coinage and calling in the old. 

1699. Chimes erected in Parish Church and set to the tune of the 113th 
Psalm. The chimes played every three hours. The machinery still lies in the 
Belfry, but the chimes have been long discontinued. 




1703. 



ST. MARY'S CHURCH, ERECTED A.D. 1011. 

West window of Parish Church erected. The west view of this fine 



old structure is given in the annexed engraving. 



536 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 



1703, November 27, a great storm which injured the Parish Church and 
most of the houses in the town. 

1712. Cheltenham described as " a town considerably engaged in the malt 
trade." 

1713. Cheltenham Old Charity School established. 

1713. ' Several well disposed persons" subscribed £14? to purchase a silver 
flagon for the use of the Coramuniou. 

1715 16. Accidental discovery of mineral waters at Old Wells. 

1716. Mary Carelees committed to Quarter Sessions " for saying, twice, King 
George was a Papist Dog" ; Mary Hill likewise committed for answering "No, 
he was a Presbyterian." 

1721. Sir John Dutton, Bart., gave a fire-engine for the use of the town; 

1721. First analysis of mineral waters by Doctors Greville and Baird. 

1722. A house rented at £8 a year as a poor-house ; when a house so rented 
should happen to be full, another house was to be added. The poor rates about 
this time were about £12 annually. 

1727. The entire poor-rate was £12 14s. l^d., the Plough being rated at £6 
per annum. Subjoined is a view of this celebrated hostelrie as it appeared in 
the olden time. 




PLOUGH HOTEL IN THE OLDEN TIME. 

17^7. There were in this year only 158 heads of families rated to the relief 
of the poor ; in 1861 the heads of families numbered 9320. 

1731. June 5, a terrific hailstorm which did damage to the town to the extent 
of £2000. 

1736. Sir Edward Seward arriving in Cheltenham could not obtain a lodging, 
and whs obliged to proceed onward to Gloucester for the night, the post chaise 
being fetched from thence to take him. 

1738. The first coach or "flying machine" from Cheltenham to London, 
advertised to accomplish the journey " if God permitted, in the short space of 
three days." 

1739 Iu a butchers bill of this year a quarter of lamb was charged 2s. 3|d., 
" loyn " ot mutton lid., and leg of lamb Is. 

174?L. August 11, advertisement of " a cudgel match " at the Plough, " he 
that breaks most heads in three bouts, and comes off clear, to receive a good hat, 
and a guinea in money." 

1743. The Pretender Burnt in Effigy. The sensation which the fate of the 
Pretender and his adherents caused throughout Europe is a notable fact in modern 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 537 

history. At this period the population of the town and hundred of Cheltenham 
was but small, and yet the then inhabitants gave expression to their feelings on 
the subject, as witness the following from the Cirencester Flying Post, in the 
possession of W. Hollis, Esq., of "The Reddings" : — " Extract of a letter from 
Cheltenham, dated April 16, 1743. Yesterday being the anniversay of his Royal 
Highness the Duke of Cumberland's birth-day, the morning was ushered in with 
ringing of bells and other demonstrations of joy ; at noon a considerable number 
of our young men, armed, assembled at the Town Hall with the Pretender in 
effig\, who was dressed in a coat of paper, a Scotch bonnet, a hay wig, a cross on 
his breast, and a halter about his neck, and fixed on a wooden horse; with whom 
they proceeded, and after a march round the town a bonfire was provided and the 
Pretender committed to the flames, and the following speech was made : ' May 
the Pretender and his adherents know, that we areseusible of the many advan- 
tages and invaluable blessings we enjoy under the preseut just and mild govern- 
ment — that we abhor Popery and Slavery, under any disguise whatever ; and we 
are ready to hazard our lives and fortunes in defence of our happy constitution, 
and to support the present Royal Family in their just pretension to the Crown 
of Great Britain." After which was a general discharge of small arms, with loud 
huzzas from the. populace. The evening concluded with drinking of lo,)al healths. 

1743. A letter in the Morning Post states that the visitors at Cheltenham 
" number about 600 persons, of great fortuues and gentility," 

1744. In May, this year, wheat at Cheltenham market was quoted "from 
2s. 3d. to 2s. 4d. per bushel." 

1744. Aug. 4, John Westley visited Cheltenham and " addressed one of the 
largest audiences ever assembled there." 

1744. Mrs. Siddons, then an unknown actress, performed in Cheltenham. 
The Earl of Aylesbury, who happened to be preseut, was so struck with her 
acting that he invited her to Londou, and thus opened the way to fame and 
fortune. (Extracts from her letters from Cheltenham. History, pp. 134—137) 

1745. In an advertisement of this year, "The Crown Inn" is described as 
haviug stabling for " an hundred horses ;" a tew years previous "the Swan" was 
described in a similar advertisement as having "stables for upwards of sixty- 
horses, stalled and bailed; and coach-houses answerable." 

1749. Dr. Johnson was a visitor, and in subsequent numbers of "The 
Rambler," makes frequent mention of the scenery round Cheltenham. 

1749 May 17, Dr. Jenner boru. He practised as a physician many years in 
Cheltenham, residing first in the High-street, and afterwards at IS T o. 8, St. 
George's-place. He practised gratuitous vaccination in the house now known as 
"Alpha House," Bays Hill, and so great was the prejudice then against the 
innovation that the house was kuown among the common people as "the pest 
house." Wilderspin, the origiuator of Infant Schools, resided in the same house 
for many years. 

1754. The right of the Incumbent to nominate his Parish Clerk and Sexton 
admitted in vestry. 

1762. The Poet Shenstone describes being present at the annual presentation 
of a new hat to the " poor incumbent." 

1776, Sept. 23. Mrs. A. Court murdered by a dishonest footman while on a 
visit to Cheltenham. The murderer was executed in 1777, and gibbetted at 
" The Marsh," near Clarence Square. 

1778. Remarkable snow sto;m. So deep was the earth covered that the snow 
imbedded and hid for three days three waggons going from Tewkesbury to 
Cheltenham. 

1779. John de la Bere purchased of the Earl of Essex all the tythes which 
supported the Perpetual Curacy of Cheltenham. 



538 HISTOUT OF CHELTENHAM. 

1779. April 14. Mrs. Elizabeth Skiilicorne, a Quakeress, buried in the 
Quaker's grave-yard. 

1780. S. Moreau, Esq., elected first Master of the Ceremonies. The fame of 
the Mineral Waters having attracted a number of visitors, it was found necessary 
to elect an M.C. The choice was a judicious one, as Mr. Moreau, both by his 
obliging manners and by his pen, did much to advance the interests of the town. 
He received King George III. and other distinguished visitors, and edited a 
Cheltenham Guide. Mr. Moreau lies buried in the middle aisle of the Parish 
Church. 

1781. Bays Hill House, bnilt by William Shillicorne, Esq., the residence of 
King George III. during his stay in Cheltenham. 

1781. First Cheltenham Guide published in London 

1783 The only public conveyances in the town were two sedan chairs. The 
"first fiy" was not introduced until 1810; but the luxury was a failure, and 
brought its owner into the Bankruptcy Court. 

1786. Birth of the late Earl Firz'iardinge. He was created Baron Segrave 
Sept 10th, 1831, and shortly afterwards advanced to an Earldom. He was 
aDpoinxed Lord Lieutenant of the county December 8th, 1835, and died at 
Berkeley October 10th, 1857. 

1786. Cora nissioners empowered to erect "120 oil lamps" for lighting the 
town. In 1818 gas was introduced in the High Street ; but up to 1825 it .as a 
common practice to carry lanthorns home from church by parties who lived 
"outside the High Street." 

1786. It is stated under this date that the "stipend" of the minister of 
Cheltenham was but £40 ; the value of the alienated rectory lands was £600 per 
annum. Upwards of 800 acres of commonable laud have from time to time 
passed into private hands. 

1787. Sunday school first held at the Parish Church, only six years after the 
first in the kingdom had been instituted by Raikes, at Gloucester. 

1788. Present Lord Fitzhardinge horn. 

1788 July 12th George III , Queen Charlotte, and the Royal Princesses 
visited Cheltenham. They stayed till the 16th of August, occupying Bayshill 
House, to which his Majesty added seventeen rooms at his own expense 

1788. The Morning Post relates that " in consequence of the overflow of 
Cheltenham, Tev\kesbury and Pres'bury are crowded" The same authoriiy adds 
that "Cheltenham will be the summer village of all that is fashionable — the 
Cheltenham bonnets, Cheltenham buttons, and Cheltenham buckles being quite 
the go — the fashions being completely Cheltenhamized throughout the kingdom." 
Tet in 1780 the number of visitors only amounted to 360. 

1790. July 8th. Entry in the vestry book of the birth of a twentieth child 
to William Fowler and Hannah his wife. 

1795. November 11th. Between 11 and 12 at night a severe shock of an 
earthquake felt in the town and neighbourhood. 

1798. Sir William Hicks who resided on the present site of the Belle Vue 
Hotel, formed and commanded lor several years the Cheltenham Volunteer 
Infantry. According to a Parliamentary return, the number of eff. ctive Volun- 
teers in the town in 1803 was 240, a large number for the then population, and a 
convincing proof of the local patriotic spirit then prevalent. Sir Ellis Hicks, 
an ancestor of Sir William, was a great favourite of Edward III., and being 
appointed to accompany the Black Prince in his campaign in France, was present 
at the Battle of Cressy. where he captured a Erench stan ;ard, and was created 
by the King a Knight Banneret for his bravery with three fieur de lis for his 
armorial bearings. 

1800. A post-office opened at 127, High-street. At this time the letters were 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



539 



delivered by an old woman who sometimes kept them until five or six days after 
they arrived, saying " she had something else to do than to take a single letter to 
the bottom of the High street." Many persons now living recoilect Sally 
Saunders, or " Old Sally," as she was generally called, andean recollect her 
quaint form as she went about with her lanthorn and basket of letters on her 
postal errands. 

1801. Mr. Henry Thompson purchased for a nominal sum 400 acres of land 
on which now stand the districts of Montpellier, Lansdown, &c. 

1801 In the same year John De la Bere purchased a farm of thirty acres of 
Lord Suffolk for £2,800. The land was afterwards re-sold for £14,000, and this 
property was the original site of Suffolk-lawn, Suffolk square, St. James's Church, 
St. Philip's Church, &c, &c. 




st. Philip's church. 

1801. A woman, living in 1860, leazed in the year 1801 five bushels of 
wheat in fields within a mile of the Parish Church. Her husband was paid £5 
for these five bushels of wheat. 

1803 A chalybeate spring discovered near Barret's mill. 

1805. First Government Post-office established, with one postman. In 1862 
there are six clerks, sixteen letter carriers, and upwards of two million letters are 
delivered annually over a circumference of sixty miles. 

1806. Female Orphan Asylum founded by Queen Charlotte. [Over-leaf is a 
view of the Building.] 

1808. March 30. Foundation stone laid of the first modern market house, 
in the presence of the county cavalry and thousands of spectators. The site was 
that now known as the Public Offices, the large room above being still occupied 
as a Board room by the Town Commissioners. 

1809. Four and a half acres of land in Cheltenham sold for £4,208. It had 
been bought a few years previous for £400. 

1809. ' We were much gratified by the serious and respectable behaviour of 
our Volunteers, both Cavalry and Infantry, at Church on Sunday. Those best 
acquainted with hnman nature will not feel less confidence in their defenders 
from their attention to these duties."— Cheltenham Chronicle, June 1st. We 
thus see that the town has always set an example in the formation of Volunteer 
Companies, and after the lapse of half a century Cheltenham again shows its 



540 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



loyalty by the creation of a Battalion numbering upwards of 400 members. In 
order to still further illustrate the spirit which animated the Volunteers of 1809, 
we annex further extracts from the Chronicle of that year. "On Thursday last 
the Royal Cheltenham Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry were inspected by Colonel 
Probyn, and, after going through the exercise, the Colonel addressed them in 
words of warm approbation. On Monday they were drawn out in celebration of 
the King's birthday and fired several volleys on the occasion. The troop of 
cavalry afterwards dined at the Cross Hands, where, amongst other songs, an 
admirable one, written by a member of the corps, was sung with great animation 




FEMALE ORPHAN ASYLOM. 

and effect by Mr. Newman. The officers of the Infantry sat down to an elegant 
dinner at the Plough Hotel." — June 8th, "On Tuesday morning, the First or 
Cheltenham Troop of Royal Gloucestershire Gentlemen and Yeomen Cavalry 
assembled to celebrate their fourteenth anniversary, and at four o'clock sat down 
to an excellent dinner at the Plough Hotel. After dinner a very handsome silver 
gilt cup, of the value of 150 guineas was presented to Captain Gray by the non- 
commissioned officers and privates of the troop. It was presented by Mr. Edward 
Hall, on behalf of himself and the corps, with an address wherein he observed 
that * Fourteen ye;«rs have elapsed since this corps was raised for the defence of 
our King and country. As we were the first corps in the county, and among the 
first in the kingdom, I am proud to see that we are first in honour and respect. 
In fine, we flatter ourselves that by your aid we have arrived at that perfection in 
discipline which will enable us, whenever called upon to meet the foe, to do you 
honour, our King nnd country good service, and each individual credit. You will 
find, Sir, whenever that muster day shall arrive, that every member of this troop 
will come forward with the greatest pleasure to stake his life and to sacrifice 
everything that is most dear to man in defence of our King and country.' "— 
August 17. From this extract it would appear that the first local Volunteers 
were formed rn the year 1795, and the spirit which they manifested appears to 
have b.^en imbibed by the inhabitants in 1861, as is evident by the time which 
the numerous Cheltenham Volunteers now devote to their duties. Ihe first, 
modern Volunteer Corps was formed in the town in September, 1859, under the 
Captaincy of Robert D* arris Gibney. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 541 

1809. May 21st. Parish boundaries perambulated. 

1810. July 2. Cheltenham and Leckhampton Tramway opened. 

1809. October 10. Alstone Mineral Spring first discovered, and a Pump 
Room erected over it. This Spa continued open until 1838 on premises at the 
rear of what is now known as Alstone Villa, and Jung and Schneider's Alstone 
Spa Nursery Gardens. The last lessee was Mr. Chambers, of the Royal Old 
Wells. 

1809. May 4. Cheltenham Chronicle established, the first local newspaper. 

1809. October 25. Grand Jubilee in honour of George III. attaining the 
fiftieth year of his reis^n. Public dinner at the Town Hall. 

1809. November 21. Earl Fitzhardinge first hunted the Cheltenham country. 
1309 November. First stone of Tram-road to Gloucester laid by the Earl of 

Suffolk. On the 4th June following the line was publicly opened. The event 
was celebrated by a public dinner at the Assembly Rooms, at which all the leading 
gentry of the county were present. It was regarded as a most important under- 
taking, for prior to that time there was no means of supply iug an increasing 
population with heavy commodities. The Act was an expensive one, and the 
investment became worthless on the establishment of Steam Railway communica- 
tion with Gloucester. The old Tram-road, after having been used for fifty \e trs, 
was abolished in 1861, and the aiateiials composing it sold by auction. "The 
tram-plites, &c, belonging to the old Tram-road between Cheltenham and 
Gloucester, were sold by auction by Mr. Kuowles, on Friday last. The iron 
fetched a high price, the cast plates realising as much as 58s. per ton, and the 
wrought over four guineas. Some gentlemen from the Forest made large 
purchases, one buying over 600 tons. The total sura realised by the sale was 
£2,703." {Cheltenham Examiner, April 24th, 1861.) 

1810. Organ in Parish Church erected by subscription. 

1811. Enclosure Act passed, by which 605 houses in the parish, erected on 
common lands, and assessed at £20,042, are exempted from payment of Church, or 
Burial Ground Rates. 

1811. Site of Oid Alms' Houses sold for £250, and afterwards re-sold by the 
purchaser tor £2000. 

1811. May 25. Arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Angauleme, daughter and 
son-in-law of the unfortunate Louis XVI. of France. 

1811. "A strawberry was plucked this week in the garden of Lady Lindsey, 
in Cambray, in this town, which measured four inches and five-eights. {Chel- 
tenham Chronicle, July 18.) 

1811. June 4. Tram-road to Gloucester publicly opened. Dinner at the 
George Hotel. L^rd Sherborne in the chair. 

1811. May 8. Ruff's Regent Gardens opened. Public dinner in honour of the 
event, Capt. Gray iu the chair. The Regent Gardens occupied the site of the 
present Regent Street. These Gardens enjoyed a great amount of patrona.e for 
many years. The amusements were similar in character to those practised at 
Vauxhall Gardens, London, during the same period 

1811. General Lefevre and other French officers "prisoners of war" ia. 
Cheltenham. The General broke his parole, and escaped to France, his wife 
accompanying him dressed as a page. (History, p. 329.) 

1812. Pate's Alms House, adjoining the Royal Hotel, taken down, and the 
present building in Albion -street erected in its stead. June 4. The birth-da} of 
King George III. celebrated. A public breakfast was given in the Regent 
Gardens, Regent-street, and a ball at the Assembly Rooms, at which 500 persons 
were present. In the afternoon there was a grand review of the Royal Chelt- 
enham Volunteers and the Cheltenham Yeomanry. 

1812. At the time of the murder of her husband, the Right Hon Spencer 



542 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Pereival, Mrs. Percival and her orphan family occupied a cottage in Constitution- 
place, the site of the present Promenade-terrace. 

1812. Oliver Watts, minister of the first Wesleyan congregation here, used to 
announce after the benediction, that a supply of provisions had been received, 
" which the Brethren might obiain on coming to 128, High-street." 

1812. Sept. Lord Byron spent some time on a visit to Col. Berkeley, and 
was vpresent at the theatricals, in which the Colonel, Mrs. Siddons, Charles 
Kemble, Mr, and Mrs. Liston, and Joe Grimaldi took part. 

1813. April 8. First visir of Webb, the philanthropist. This extraordinary 
man had an income of £75,000 per annum, and spent his time in travelling from 
place to place and distributing large sums among ihe poor. In his tour he visited 
Cheltenham on three occasions during the above and following year, which are 
all recorded in the Cheltenham Chronicle. At his last visit he became acquainted 
with Miles Watkins, a local eccentric, and adopted him as his Secretary. On the 
jfirst visit he gave £400 in one day, and £200 on the fullo wing day, and left behind 
him £60 lor distribution. He gave one thousand guineas for apprenticing boys 
at Gloucester, and spent for the same object nearly as much in this town. For 
thirteen of the boys, who were apprenticed to some higher branches of trade, he 
paid £44t). His second visit was made in December following, when he pro- 
miscuously distributed £1,400. His last visit was in April, 1814, when his 
object was to prevail upon the poor to marry, giving himself a dowry by way of 
inducement. He publicly stood " Father in Church" to an indigent bride, named 
Ann Clarkson, when, upon her union with George Witts, he presented them with 
£200 His Secretary paid £300 in one day for refreshments to the crowd that 
assembled ! He invited 600 of his fellow-townsmen to the White Hart, and 
besides the regalement which cost the sum above-mentioned, lie gave away money. 
Mi'e Watkins, while travelling with Mr. Webb, assisted in the distribution of 
oyer £100,000. 

1813. September 7. Balloon ascent, remarkable from the fact that no gas- 
works then existed, nor until five years afterwards. Mr. Sadler, the aeronaut, 
employed artificial means for inflating his balloon. He lormed his gas of ten 
cwt. and a halt of iron filings and 35 cwt. of sulphuric acid. Notwithstanding the 
quantity used, the gas formed was insufficient to raise Mr. Sadler and his balloon. 
His son, although only 16 years old, supplied the lather's pl*ce in the car, 
ascended from the Tramway Wharf, and safely descended the same night at 
Chipping; Norton. The as< ent was to have taken place on the 6th, but it was 
fouud impossible to inflate the balloon on that day. Thousands had come in from 
the country to see the sight; and the town was so full that numbers were unable 
to obtain lodgings, and compelled to remain out in the streets all night. 

1813. August 13. Bath Road through Cambray opened. 

1814. January 17- The mail arrived from London, " the first time for the last 
seven da)s." 

1814. August 9. Sarah Humphris, a.felo-de-se t buried in the cross-road leading 
to Swindon, the last instance of a cross-road burial in the parish. The deceased 
destroyed herself by drinking vitriol. The place of interment is just beyond the 
residence of the late Mr. Maule, road-surveyor, at a cross-road leading to 
commonable land called -'The Marshes," 

1814. Sept. 13. Meeting at Town Hall to form the first Auxiliary Bible 
Society. Thomas Bagshot de la Bere, Esq., presided. ihe meetiug was 
addressed by eleven resident clergvmen of the Established Church, seven 
Dissenting ministers, and by two members of the Society of Friends, one of 
whom was the celebrated Dr. Pope, Physician to George the Third. Upwards of 
one hundred guineas were collected. 

1814. k< A parsnip, measuring upwards of five feet, was this week dug from the 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 543 

garden of Mr. Bachelor, of the Greyhound Inn, North Street." {Cheltenham 
Chronicle. Dec. 8.) 

1814. " A lew days since was plunked from a tree in the garden of Mr. Denney, 
nurseryman, of this town, a gooseberry, called the ' Great Britain,' of the 
astonishing size of five and a half inches in circumference." {Cheltenham 
Chronicle .) 

1816. Visit to Cheltenham of the Duke of Wellington. Colonel Berkeley 
was deputed by a public meeting to deliver an address of congratulate u to the 
galhmt visitor. 

1816. Rev. J. Simeon and five others purchased the right of electing the 
minister for the sum of £3,000. 

1816. A small house id High-street, which was let 20 years back for £12 now 
returns the aunual rental of one hundn d guineas, 

1816. July 7. The Duke of Wellington arrived with his Duchess. Presided 
at the formal opening of the Assembly Rooms and remained until the 31st, when 
his Grace and family left lor Larl Bathurst's seat, near Cirencester. The Duke 
aga'u visited the towu August 15, 1828, and remained for a fortnight. 

1816 July 12th. Arrival of Louis Pi.ilip, Duke of Orleans, afterwards King 
of the Erench. He remained in Cheltenham three months for the benefit of the 
waters. 

1816. First provident society founded. It was in the winter of this year, that 
a society was formed for the relief of the indigent poor ; and it was commenced 
under favourable auspices, a collection having been made in the Parish Church, 
amounting to the large sum of £4>00, alter a sermon by the Rev. Charles Jervis. 
This munificient contribution to the cause of charity has never been surpassed, 
we believe, on any occasion in Chelte ham- It is curious that the collection was 
madr by a number of ladies, and perhaps this may account for its unexampled 
success. The collectors were the Ladies Castle-tewart, Charlotte Stewart, 
Faulkener, Hudson, Otv\ay,and Grant; the Hon. Mrs. Deane, the Hon. Mrs. 
Moore ; Mesdames Newell, Thompson, and Matthews. Subsequently large con- 
tributions were handed in trom other sources ; and the society flourished and did 
a great amount of ^ood tor a number of years, until it was merged in the opera- 
tions of a number of district relief societies, such as we have them at 
present. 

18 7. January 6th. First Nation A School, on Dr. Bell's plan, opened in the 
Bath-road It was commenced in the Old Town Hall, June 5, 1816, which soon 
proved too small lor the object; this led to the erection of the new building, the 
foundation stone of which was laid b\ W. Prinn, Esq., of Charlton Park, August 
23, 18 6. The first annual report, published in August, 1817, gives the number 
of boys then in attendance at j.94?, and the girls 173. lhe annual subscriptions 
in aid of the school were £161., donations for the year £130 ; after sermon by 
the Bishop of the Diocese £105; after sermon by the Rev. C. Jervis £86. The 
committee of management were enabled to pay that year £835 on account of land 
and the school buildings, leaving a balance of £548 for future reduction. The 
gross payments made during the year were £1,092. It was further reported that 
Dr. Bell had visiied the school, and had expressed himself satisfied with the pro- 
gress which had been made. That gentleman sub>t quently took up his residence in 
tins tow.*, and died here in 1832, aged 79 At the time we allude to there was 
no other National school in the town for the children of the poor, and no charge 
whatever was made for their instruction ; now we have day schools conuected 
with each of our churches, besides two nourishing British Schools, Wedeyan 
and Roman Catholic Schools, &c. Dr. Bell resided at Lindsey Cottage after- 
wards the residence of Sir Richard Wolseley, Bart., and since occupied by Dr. 
Coinyn. He was deemed so great a benefactor tnat he was honoured with at 



544 



HISTORY GF CHELTENHAM 



public funeral, and interred in Westminster Abbey with all the ceremonies due to 
his worth on February 10th, 1832. 




WATERLOO SCHOOL. 

1817. Freemasons' Hall, in Portland Street, erected at a cost of £4000. It is 
remarkable for its architectural features, being designed to represent an ancient 
mausoleum, as illustrated bv our sketch It is fitted up internally with great 




MASONIC HALL, PORTLAND STREET. 

taste, and contains a fine organ. The Hon. J. Dutton, the eldest son of Lord 
Sherborne, Col. P. Berkeley, M.P., and many of the resident gentry, belong to 
the ancient craft. Early in 1817, a Freemasons' Lodge was opened in Cheltenham, 
Dr. Boisragon, Master; R. W. Coley, Esq., Senior Warden; W. H. Harris, 
Esq., Secretary ; and R. Pruen, Esq., Treasurer. Since that time the order has 
prospered in this locality, and in the following year, the Masonic Hall, Portland 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



545 



Street, was built, in a very substautial manner, for the ordinary meetings of the 
craft. The Duke of Beaufort was then the Provincial Grand Master, and his 
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex was Grand Master of England. In the 
Freemasons' Magazine for 1857 it is said that, " During a brief sojourn at the 
* Queen of Watering Places,' an opportunity offered at which we gladly availed 
ourselves for a renewal of a visit to this excellent Lodge. In a former notice we 
have mentioned in terms of stroug approbation the style and character of the 
buildings fittings, and furniture, which render the Masonic Temple in this place 
so admirably adapted for giving full effect to our beautiful ceremonies." 

1818. August 12. Sherborne Spa opened. The building, which was after- 
wards called the Imperial Spa, occupied the site of the Queen's Hotel. It was 
removed from its original to it present position, at the Bays Hill entrance to the 
Promenade, where it is uow used for commercial purposes. 

1818. September 28. Gas-lights first used in the streets. 

1818. The Promenade commenced. Its site now lined with handsome 
buildings and ornamented with its beautiful avenues of trees, was at that time 
occupied as" a brick-field, a rude plank being over the Chelt for the convenience 
of foot passengers. 




THE "PROMHNADE" ERCXtf IMPERIAL CIRCUS. 



1818. i November. Savings Bank established. From the first report we fiul 
that the inhabitants largely availed themselves of it as a depository for small 
YJo^q 8 ' -9 arin S the year eildio » 30t!l September, 1819, the total deposits were 
£Q,9o6, and the depositors were 315 in number, consisting chiefly of servants, 
artificers, small tradesmen, Benefit Societies, and Charitable Institutions. The 
Bank has gone on ever since, and has proved here, as elsewhere, a source of 
much security for small savings. « The Annual General Meeting of the Trustees 
and Managers of this institution was held at the Bank Buildings on Friday last. 
It appears that the institution is now in the 41th year of its existence, and that 
at the close of its present financial year there were the names of 5,833 depositors 
with open accounts standing on the books, being an increase of 148 accounts 
during the year. The nett balance which, in 1860, was £14.8,708 0s. 8d., in 



546 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1861, amounted to £150,830 Is. Id., shewing an increase in capital 
£2,122 0s. 5d. The amount doe to depositors at the end of 1861, was 
£150,478 Is. 2d. ; which, being deducted from the balance of £150,830 Is. Id., 
as above stated, leaves a clear cash surplusahove the liabilities, of £351 19s lid., 
in addition to the value of the Bank Premises. Of the above balance, 
£953 18s. 2d. was in the hands of the Treasurers— the Managers of the County 
of Gloucester Bank — and the remaining sum of £149,876 2s. lid. was invested 
with the Government; such investment being duly certified by a receipt under 
the hands of the National Debt Commissioners. The rate of interest given is 
£3 0s. lOd. per cent., being the maximum allowed by the Act of Parliament. 
The above facts are highly satisfactory, and we cannot help thinking much of the 
success obtained by, and the public confidence reposed in, the institution, is due 
to the indefatigable labours of Mr. Bees Phillips, who has for so many years 
filled the office of Secretary." — ( heltenham Examiner, January 29th, 1862. 

1819. Races established on Cleeve Hill. In the previous year races were 
held on Nottingham Hill, which proving successful led to their establishment. 
In 1831, they were removed to Prestbury Park, where they continued until 183o, 
when they were again held on Cleeve Hill until 1842, when they were dis- 
continued. An Annual Steeple Chase was substituted at a public meeting held 
at the Plough Hotel, May 7th, 1844. In August, 1819, the Annual Races w ere 
commenced in Cheltenham, under the distinguished patronage of their Royal 
Highnesses the Duke and i'ucheps of Gloucester, and the resident and visiting 
nobility and gentry. His Royal Highness subscribed one hundred guineas to the 
fund, and several thousand pounds were collected for stakes. Three days' racing 
was determined upon, and several races each day. A vast number of the nobility 
and gentry attended ; and during the race week the town was like a Continental 
carnival, owing to the crowds and gaiety which prevailed. A ball given in the 
Assembly Rooms realised a profit of £120 to the Race Fund. The Cheltenham 
Races have now attained a high degree of celebrity, and attract a large number 
of visitors annually, as may be seen from this statement of the principal stakes 
won at the races held March 25th and 26th, 1853: — "Three of the best prizes 
were carried off by our own townsmen. The great stake was won by Captain 
Barnett, of Bayshill Lawn, whose horse, ' Sir Peter Laurie,' ridden by Holman, 
defeated, after a splendid race, the Irish crack c La Gazza Ladra' and lour others. 
The run home was one of the finest things of the kind ever witnessed. Sir Peter 
was very patiently and well ridden by his trainer, Mr. W. Holman, who, on 
returning to the betting ring, was greeted with vehement cheering by the 
assembled spectators. The value Of the stake to the winner was £382 18s,, 
besides w r hich, we believe, his backers were large winners through their betting 
hooks. The effect of the Cheltenham Steeple Chases of 1852 as ensuring the 
stability of these annual gatherings, has been, we are informed , most encouragiug. 
The sale of two of the winners realised between £100 and £200 over and above 
the entered price, thus forming a very fair nucleus for next year's fund ; and if, 
as is confidently expected, these chases should become connected with the grand 
military events which annually take place at Warwick, they will in future rank 
second to none in the kingdom." — Cheltenham Examiner. At the Races held on 
April 5th and 6th, 1853, the value of the Grand Annual Stakes was announced 
at £500. Among the owners of horses entered was the Marquis of Waterford. 
In 1861, the Grand National Hunt and Military Races were held on property 
belonging to the Earl Ellenborough, The sport lasted three days, aod 
attracted an immense assemblage of the most wealthy sportsmen of 
England. 

1820. " Henry Thompson, Esq.. to whom Cheltenham is obliged, in a great 
degree, for the celebrity of its springs, and the most admired improvements at 



CHRONOLOGTCAL EVENTS. 



547 



that fashionable place of resort, dieJ there last week, at his residence Hygeia 
House m to 72nd year of his age."— Morning Post. November 9th, 1820. 

1821 Juue 23. First spring van started from Cheltenham to London. 
.Trior to this date there was no other conveyance of heavy -ood* except the four 

W T l Wagg0n ' h U8UaHy ° C ' Up,ed e, -" t la ^ s in 8° in « aiid returning. 

1822. fruity hurch (to accommodate 900 persons) and the present Market 
House and Arcade built in this year under the auspces of Lord Sherborne, tiie 
then Lord ot the Manor. 

\ qoo" T he Bath R(>ad opeaed fchrou S h Shurdingtou and Pains*ick. 

1883. It is stated that in this year, so great was the prosperity of the town 
that there were from 400 to 500 men employed in the building tries the con- 
tracts under hand for new houses amounting to £450,00). From the arrival 
lists of that, year we find that the v sitors included 4 Duk-s, 3 Dachesses 6 
Marquises, 5 Marchionesses, 4 Bishops l<> Earls, 8 Countesses, 53 Lards 70 
Ladies, besides a host of Honourable*, Baronets; foreigners of title, and other 
persons ot distinction. 

1823. May 20. Parish b mn lanes perambulated. Prior to this official act 
no survey ot the parochial boundary had been taken for a quarter of a century. 
It occupied two days, and the ground walk-d over exceeded 26 miles 

1823. November 8. « Cheltenham Journal" established. 

1824 Rev F. Close became Assistant Curate at Trinity Church. In 1826,he 
was appointed Perpetual Curate of Cheltenham, an office which he filled until 
appointed Dean of Carlisle, in 1856. 

1824. April 26. New peal of bells erected in Parish Church. 

1825 Horticultural Societj first form d The exhib tion of Floral and 
Horticultural specimens, which were on a small scale for several years after the 
formation of the society, took place ar the Imperial Spa. The society has now 
become so extensive that it is ena led to offer a large amount for prizes. The 
exhibitions are conducted on an extensive scale, and are attended by many thou- 
sands of the leading nobility of the town and county. The prises are open to all 
competitors, and the exhibitions, which take piace at the different Spas 
alternately, are rendered the more attractive by the attendance of a military band 
oelong-jug to oue of her Majes y's regime-ts 

1825. May 4. foundation stone of Pittville Pump Room laid with Masonic 
honours 

1826. First Infant School in the towu established by Mr. Wilderspin. It is an 




INFANT SCHOOL, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE. 



548 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 

interesting fact connected with the educational history of the locality, that 
Cheltenham was the first place where the renowned founder of the Infant School 
system carried his views into practice. Here it was that Mr. Wilderspin for 
many years, both hy teaching, lecturing, and by his published works, laboured 
most indefatigably to awaken all classes to the importance of educating the infant 
mind. The first Infant School for gratuitous instruction was erected in St 
James's Square, and opened July 26th, 1830. This school was founded through 
the instrumentality of the Rev. E. Close. Mr. Wilderspin resided for many years 
at Alpha House, Bays Hill, where Dr. Jenner first carried out his plan of 
gratuitous vaccination. 

1826. Present Montpellier Pump Room erected. The Montpellier Gardens 
were opened July 28th, 1830. 

1826. Nov. 22. Sir Walter Scott arrived to take a course of mineral waters, 
from which he derived much benefit. 

1827. July 31. Queen Adelaide staid at the Clarence Hotel. On her 
departure she drove through the unfinished street, since known as Clarence- 
street. 

1827. Nov. 15. Ecclesiastical fees of the parish settled hy the Bishop, and 
advertised as follows : — 

Publication of banns of marriage — minister, 3s. ; clerk, Is. 6d. 
Marriage by banns — minister, 6s. ; clerk, 3s. 
Marriage by license — minister, 10s. 6d. ; clerk, 5s. 
Churching of women — minister, Is. ; clerk, 6d. 
Certificates from registers — minister, 2s. 6d.; clerk, Is. 
Extracts from ditto— minister, Is. ; clerk, 6d. 

Eunerals (except at three o'clock in winter and four in summer) single grave— 
gexton, 7s. 6d. 

Inhabitant householder — minister, £1 Is.; clerk, 5s.; sexton, 10s. 6d. 

Non-inhabitant householder — minister, €3 3s. ; clerk, £1 Is.; sexton, 10s. 6d 

Eunerals inside the church — minister, £10 10s. ; clerk. £2 2s.; sexton, £1 Is, 

Inhabitant householder — minister, £10 10s. ; clerk, £2 2s. ; sexton, £1 Is. 

Vaults, ditto — minister, £52 10s. 

Monuments, five superficial feet or under — minister, £5 5s. 

Eor every additional superficial foot — minister, £1 Is. 

Head and foot stones in the churchyard — minister, £1 Is. 

Elat stones over graves or vaults — minister, £2 2s. 

Tombs ditto — minister, £3 3s. 

Rails round ditto — minister, £3 3s. 

The Church of the Holy Trinity, in the aforesaid parish ; county and diocese, 
Euneral fees — minister, £2 2s. ; clerk, 10s. 6d. ; sexton, 10s. 6d. 
Double brick vault in the yard — minister, £10 10s. 
Single ditto ditto — minister, £6 6s. 
Monuments, five superficial feet or under — minister, £5 5s. 
Eor every additional superficial foot — minister, £1 Is. 
Monuments against the walls outside — minister, £1 Is. 
Bead and foot stones in the churchyard — minister, £1 Is. 
Flat stones over graves or vaults — minister, £2 2s. 
Tombs, ditto — minister, £3 3s. 
Rails rouud ditto — minister, £3 3s. 
Eor single catacomb in the church— minister, £10 10s, 

The above is a true copy of the table of fees deposited in the Ecclesiastical 
Court. 

E. Close, Incumbent of Cheltenham, 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVETNS. 



549 



1328. February 21. The public clock at the late Magistrates office erected. 

1830. Pittville Pump- room erected at a cost of £60,000. Previous to its 
erection visitors used to take the waters at " The Little Spa," a building in the 
East walk, on the South side of the lake. 




THE LITTLE SPA. 

1830. June 26. George IV. died. Great Flood in Cheltenham. A 
great storm and flood occurred this day, aud extended nearly all over the country. 
The Cheltenham Examiner of August 1, 1855, says — " Its effects were very 
similar to those of the storm of Thursday last, except that the waters then swept 
through fields instead of through streets. Where the Promenade now stands was 
then a piece of waste laud or meadow; and Mr. John Russell informs us, he 
remembers that year Mr. Henney giving him the use of a slip of the land where 
the Literary Institution now stands, and which he plauted with potatoes. These 
potatoes were just getting fit for digging, when alas ! the storm of June 26th 
swept over the land, and the waters of the Chelt swept over Mr. Henney' s 
meadows and carried the whole of Mr. Russell's potatoe crop, mould and every- 
thing, along with it ! The waters on that occasion also burst into what is now 
Jessop's Gardens, making a breach through the very spot in the embankment 
where they broke through on Thursday last with such damaging effect. At a 
former flood, about fifty years ago, the water rose as high as the pales of the 
churchyard; but that was before the houses in the Old Cresent were built, and 
when, of course, no part of the river was arched over, the whole being an open 
stream from mill to mill." 

183D. Consecration St. James's Church, Suffolk-square. [View of building, 
see next page.] 

1830. October 6. St James's Church consecrated. 

1830. August 14. Queen Victoria, with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, 
drove through Cheltenham. 

1831. Gurney's Steam Carriage ran between Cheltenham and Gloucester on 
the turnpike road for several weeks, after which it was discontinued in conse- 
quence of a portion of the line of road having been re-stoned. To Sir Charles 
fiance we are indebted for this first attempt at introducing locomotives on the 
Common highway. 



550 



IIISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. 




st, james's chukch. 

1831. May 9. Parish boundaries perambulated. 
1831. June 20. Paganini's first performance at the Assembly Rooms. 
1831. September 19. The New Burial Ground and Chapel thereon conse- 
crated. The Chapel, which is in the classic style, was built from designs by 
Messrs. Paul, resident architects. 

1831. September 28. Great Reform Dinner at the Assembly Rooms. 
November 4. New Police established. 
May 4. Cheltenham Looker- On estab- 



1831. 
1833. 
Ii8hed\ 
1833. 
1833 




Literary Institution formed. 
Statue of William IV. erected in Im- 
perial Gardens, to commemorate the passing ot the 
Reform Bill. 

1834. This year, in making the sewer, the 
ancient " stepping-stones" were discovered which 
stood in the High-street; also the massive oak 
steps opposite the Plough and Crown Hotels. 
1834. Mechanic's Institution formed 
1834. Oct. 17. Earl Ellen borough's Eete at 
Sudeley Castle. 

1834. Cambray Spa erected by the late Bavnum Jones, Esq., at the junctiion 
of Rodney Terrace and Imperial Square. The Chalybeate spring was discovered 
at this spot in the year 1804. In 1805, Sir Francis Burdett, then seriously ill 
and deprived of the use of his limbs, was restored to convalescence in the course 
-of a few years, by drinking the waters of this Spa. [For view of builaiug, see 
next page.] 

1834. November 4. Free Press established by the late Samuel Charle* 
Harper. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



551 



1835. Visit of H.R.H, Duke of Cambridge. During his stay he called 
■upon J. .Fallon, Esq., the then occupier, to inspect the residence of George III. 
when in Cheltenham — Bayshill House. 




THE CAMBRAY SPA. 

1835. June 8. Election of a Master of the Ceremonies. There were two 
candidates — Captain Kirwan and Mr. Sissons. Captain Kirwan was elected by a 
majority of 235 votes. 4 

1835. November ]0. The first election for a Board of Guardians in Chelt- 
enham, under the New Poor Law Act. 

1836. Literary Institution erected. The building was desigued from the well 




LITERA.RY AND PHILOSOPHIC/ ~ INSTITUTION. 



552 [history or Cheltenham. 

kn wn and admired Temple of Theseus, at Athens. It contained a lecture room 
and museum, but the finances of the Association were always in a deranged state 
and in 1 861 the concern was wound up, and the building offered for sale. 
Attempts were made towards its purchase by the Improvement Commissioners, as a 
Board- rocm and Public-officces, but the proposition met with so much opposition 
that the idea was abandoned. In 1860 the building was sold by public auction,, 
by Messrs Engall and Sanders, and shortly afterwards it was pulled down and 
two handsome shops, now known as New Buildings, erected in its place. 

1836. March 25. Board of Highways first constituted. This Board was- 
composed of twenty ratepayers, annually elected at a Vestry Meeting, and was 
continued until 1846, when its illegality having been discovered. Mr. C. Hale 
was appointed Town Surveyor in its stead. Prior to the establishment of the 
Board, the roads from time immemorial were repaired by a Town Surveyor; and 
after its abolition the ancient custom was again resorted to, which continued 
until the passing of the New Improvement Act in 1852. Owing to an omission 
in this Act, the Town Commissioners had no power to alter or stop up a high- 
way ; but the omission was rectified in the general Highway Act of 1862- 

1837. January 11. The Cheltenham Stag Hunt established at a public 
meeting, and the Hon. C. F. Berkeley, M.P., elected the first Master of the 
Hounds. 

1837. February 28. The Girls' Union School, St. George's- street, opened 
by public meeting. 

1837. A cormorant, or, as it is called by naturalists Pelicanus Carbo 7 was shot 
in Pittville-street. 

1837. Clocks erected at the churches. " This derideratum is, about to be 
supplied by the liberality of Mrs. H. Thompson, the amiable and much respected 
relict of Henry Thompson, Esq., a gentleman to whose enterprising spirit the 
aggrandizement and prosperity of Cheltenham may chiefly be ascribed. Mrs. 
Thompson has determined on presenting a public Clock for each edifice, to St, 
John's Church, St. James's Church, and St. Paul's Church, and has given orders 
to Mr. Denne for their construction and erection, on a similar scale to the Parish 
Church." — Journal. 

1837. June 24th. Thursday being the day fixed for proclaiming our Most 
Gracious Queen Victoria in Cheltenham, a numerous party of the Magistrates, 
Gentlemen, and Tradesmen of the town, met at the Assembly Booms, to make 
the preliminary arrangements, which having been completed at 3 o'clock, the 
procession left the Assembly Booms, accompanied by a band of music with flags 
and banners, the whole of the police force, and parish constables, in the following 
order: — Mr. George Russell, High Constable, with his silver baton of office, 
H. N. Trye, Esq., the High Sheriff of the county, attended by J. C. Straford, 
Esq., the Deputy Sheriff, who was supported on the right by A. H. Kirwan, Esq., 
M.C., afld on the left by Jas. Fisher, Esq., High Bailiff, the County Magistrates' 
acting for the division of the county ; the Rev. John Brown, of Trinity Church; 
the Churchwardens ; the Registrar, and a large body of gentlemen and tradesmen; 
the procession halted at the Public Office, the Fleece, the White Hart, and the 
Old Swan, and returned to the Assembly Rooms, at each of which places Mr. 
G. Russell having enjoined silence, the proclamation was read by J. C. Straford, 
Esq., in a firm and audible voice, amid the enthusiastic cheerings of the populace. 
Persons of every shade of political opinion appeared tc vie with each other in 
demonstrations of loyality to the throne, and affection for the person of their 
"Virgin Queen." 

1837. October 10. First stone of Christ Church, laid by Rev. F. Close 

1837. April 24. The great Nassau balloon ascended from the Montpellie 
Gardens under the guidance of Mr. Green, who was accompanied by Mr. Rush 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS, 



553 



the American Minister. After a voyage of three hours during which they 
travelled 90 miles, and passed over Strathfieldsaye, the seat of the Duke of 
Wellington, a safe descent was effected 40 miles from London. 

1838. July 21. Queens Hotel opened for visitors. 

1838. August 8. Centenary Fete at Old Wells. 

1838. October 3. Hampton, the aeronaut, ascended in a halloon from the 
Montpeilier Gardens, and safely descended in a parachute on Hicks's farm at 
Hatherley. The event produced a great sensation at the time, in consequence of 
the recent death of Cocking, while attempting the same task, and the feat was 
deemed so dangerous as to be forbidden by the local Magistracy Mr. Hampton, 
however, attempted the task, and made with safety one of the most successful 
parachute descents in England. 

1839. April 22. Died at Cheltenham, Nathaniel Thomas Haynes Bayly. A 
tablet to his memory stands in St. James's Church, with an inscription from the 
pen of Theodore Hook. 

1839. May 3. Destruction of Cheltenham Theatre by fire. 

1839. July 4?. Sir Francis H. Drake, Bart., died at Cheltenham, where he 
had been many years a resident. He was the last male descendant of the great 
circumnavigator Sir Francis Drake. 

1839. July 17. First number of the Cheltenham Examiner published. The 
paper was started under the auspices of Earl Fitzhardinge, Hon. Craven Berkeley, 




CHELTENHAM "EXAMINER" OFFICE. 

the Magistrates of the Cheltenham Bench, and a large number of gentlemen and 
tradesmen, active members of the Liberal party. Mr. Fonblanque then editor of 
the Loudon Examiner and since made C ommissioner in Bankruptcy, came 
specially to Cheltenham, on the invi.ation of Earl Fitzhardinge, to advise as to 
the details of the new publication. Mr J. C. S)mons, afterwards appointed one 
of H M. Inspectors of Schools, was for some years its editor. 

1839. July 15. News arrived of dreadful riots in Birmingham. The gas 
was put out, and several shops, in the principal thoroughfares fired by the 
populace. 



554 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1839. July 30. Great centenery meeting in commemmoration of Whitfield 
held on Stinchcomb hill. 

1839. August 2. Heury Vincent and other Chartists tried at Monmouth and 
sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. 

1839. August 5. General Sir James Stewart, Bart , G.C.H., the *« father of 
the army," died at his residence in Cheltenham. He entered the service March 
17, 1761, and became Colonel of the 2nd Dragoon Guards January 12, 1815. 
Sir James Stewart was alive in 1745 wheu his father was dispatched from 
Scotland by Prince Charles Stuart to arrange with Louis XV. of .France, for a 
French iavasiou to overthrow the Hanoverian dynasty. 

1839. August 6. John Chadburn, Esq., of Gloucester, mixed up in the 
matter of " Jemmy Wood's " will, committed suicide by hanging himself in his 
coac!>-house. 

1839. August 18. A number of Chartists proceeded in a body to the Parish 
Church during morning service with a view to intimidate the preacher. There 
was no serious disturbance, but the party left as soon as the organ struck up the 
National Anthem. 

1839. August. Public meetings on railway matters. The line from Chelten- 
ham tu Swindon was opposed by Mr. Henney and others, but it was carried by 
the influence of the then proprietors of the Lansdown property, and called after 
tliem <k the Roy-Thompson" line. 

1839. August. First day mail from London. 

1839. August. County police force introduced at Cheltenham. The ex- 
pense of the Commissioners police was said to be "25 men, £1470 14s. 6d."; of 
the new police" 50 men, £689 13s. Id." ; giving double the lorce and effecting 
a saving to the town of £781 Is. 5d. 

1839. August. A "Cheltenham Improvement Bill" caused great agitation 
in the town ; it was lost on the second reading. The " Examiner " stated that 
though it passed only one reading, Was only one day in committee, had only one 
witness examined in its favour, and only one solicitor, one agent, and one counsel 
employed, yet the promoters managed to put the town to an expense of three 
thousand pounds. 

1839. September 9. Chartist meeting at Cheltenham, to hear John Frost 
and Feargus O'Connor. About 3,000 persons assembled; a large number of 
special constables sworn in. 

1839. September 7. Hon. Craven Berkeley, M.P., youngest son of the late 
Earl Berkeley, married to the Hon. Mrs. Talbot, widow of the Hon. George 
Talbot, brother to the Earl of Shrewsbury. 

1839. November. Re v. F. Close removrd from Monson Villa to the Grange, 
the residence purchased and furnished for him by his admirers in Cheltenham. 

1839. November. A curious announcement appears in a lending article. 
"The Queen, it seems, is determined to marry Prince Albert;" together with the 
following couplet written on the Prince of Wales's marriage 45 years previous :— 

"The Royal House of Hanover, the darling of the nation, 
Is likely now to last, at least, another generation." 

1840. January. Mr. John Cooke, auctioneer, appointed assistant overseer } 
as it was resolved the officer should follow no other calling, Mr. Cooke declined 
the appointment, and Mr. Thomas Boodle was elected in his stead. 

1840. January 14th. Major -General Sir George Teasdale died at his resi- 
dence, High-street, from injuries received from a fall from his horse. He served 
forty years in the King's Dragoon Guards. 

1840. January 14th. The Incumbent of Cheltenham stated from the pulpit 
that " he wished "the canon law allowed him to refuse the sacrament to all per- 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 



555 



sons married at the Registrar's office ;" so great was tbe feeling of churchmen at 
the time against these irregular marriages, then just legalised. 

184<0. January 11th. Highway robbery and attempted murder at Piff's Elm, 
a man named Yarworth being shot by a footp id and left for dead. 

1840. January 21st. Consecration of Christ Church, then known as " the 
new church at Alstone." 




CEftiST CHURCH. 



(F1840. February 10th. Illuminations in Cheltenham in honour of the 
Queen's marriage. 

1840. February 26th. Landslip at Hewletts, which is thus recorded in the 
Cheltenham Examiner : — " On Tuesday afternoon, a considerable quantity of 
earth burst from its base, near Mr. Agg's house, Hewlett's Hill, in consequence 
it is presumed, of being so thoroughly saturated with water from the continued 
rain. The ground was observed to tremble and rise, and then rush like an 
avalanche down the descent for upwards of 200 yards, bearing with it several 
withy trees, edging the cavity by which the land emerged, which now maintain 
an upright position at a considerable distance from where they were originally 
situated, and destroying a hedge which formed the boundary of a field over 
which it passed. In its progress it left several apertures, many of which are of 
considerable widtli and depth. The course which it took in its descent appears 
perfectly level in the centre, at the edges an accumulation of stones and earth 
was left during its passage, whilst the broken roots from which the trees were 
torn give proof of the force of its outbreak. The side of the hill from whence 
it came shows plainly by its hollowness the quantity of earth which has been 



556 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



separated from it. This occurrence attracted a considerable number of spectators; 
on Sunday, it is supposed upwards of 3,000 visited the scene." 

1840. April 7th. Election of Clerk to the Magistrates in the room of J. 
C. Straford, resigned. The candidates were Mr. G. E.Williams and IV 1 r. Hubert 
Gyde. The magistrates divided 14 to 14, when the chairman, Rev. W. Hicks, 
gave his casting vote for Mr. Williams, and thus secured that gentleman's election. 
The appointment was afterwards cancelled by the Home Secretary, Lord 
Normanby, on the ground that the Chairman of the Bench had no right to a 
double vote. A second election took place on the 11th of June, when, Mr. 
Gyde having retired from the contest, Mr. Williams was elected without oppo- 
sition. 

1840. April 19. Appeal against a rate made by the old Commissioners. Thetrial 
occupied three days at the Gloucester Sessions, and resulted in the quashing of 
the rate by the magistrates by 10 votes against 5. The decision of the Justices 
was afterwards set aside by the Court of Queen's Bench, and the rate confirmed. 

1840. June 15th. Meeting to address her Majesty on her recent escape from 
assassination, by Edward Oxford. The meeting did not appoint the Rev. F. 
Close its chairman, as usual on such occasions, the rev. gentleman having, some 
time previously, in commenting on the Queen's conduct, in reference to the 
government scheme of education, said : — " Suffice it to say, the covenant is 

broken, the throne is forfeited but he would not finish the sentence in these 

degenerate days." The rev. gentleman to-day made amends by indulging in 
fervid expressions of loyalty to the person of our beloved Sovereign. 

1840. June 24th, Railway from Cheltenham to Birmingham opened pro tern. 

1840. July 15th. The "Examiner" says: — "We are informed that the 
health of the celebrated novelist, Sir E. Lytton Bulwer, which has of late been 
in such a precarious state, is materially improved since his arrival at Chelten- 
ham." 

1840. July 16th. Accident to Sir William Russell, at Charlton Park. Sir 




TEEES IN CHARLTON PARK. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 557 

William, and Mr. Ibbertson, of East Court, had mounted one of the trees in the 
park for the purpose of shooting a deer, when Sir William, in attempting to 
descend, fell a distance of ten feet, and. falling on his head, sustained a severe 
concussion of the braiu, and was (or some time inseusible. An express was 
immediately sent off to his mother, Lady Russell, and his sisters, who arrived at 
the Park, from Leamington, in the course of the evening. 

1840. July 25th. Jftrst poll on the question of Church-rates, in accordance 
with a resolution passed at a vestry meeting. Annexed is a statement of the 
number of persons who polled on this, and also on subsequent occasions : — 1540, 
persons against the rate, 469; ditto for the rate, 371. — 1841, persous against the 
rate, 698 ; ditto for the rate, 541. — 1842, persons against the rate, 415 , ditto for 
the rate, 396. — 1843, persons against the rate, 32; ditto for the rate, 146. — 
1844, persons against the rate, 207; ditto for the rate, 28 i. — 1845, persons 
against the rate, 1U50 ; ditto for the rate, 655. — 1848, persons against the rate 
712; ditto for the rate, 339. 

1840. August. Premises of the County Bank, High-street, enlarged. 21st, 
The new Wesleyan Chapel in St. George's-street, opened for public worship. 

1840. August. Mr. Downing, of High-street, cited to appear before the 
Ecclesiastical Court fur refusing to pay a burial ground rate. 

1840. November 4th. Opening of railway to Gloucester (Birmingham line), 
and on November 17th the entire line was publicly opened from Gloucester to 
Birmingham. , 

1841 . Very severe frost, causing great distress and suffering among the poor. 
L^pwards of £700 subscribed in Cheltenham for the unemployed poor, 

1841. Mr. Close published a letter recommending the enlargement of the 
Parish Church, the west end to be thrown out fifty feet so as to accommodate an 
additional 900 or 1,000 persons ; the chancel and transepts to be shut off by a 
screen across the arch beneath the tower, thus enabling all the congregation 
to see the minister. The expense, with certain exterior alterations, he estimated 
at £11,000. 

1841. April 5. Nine Cheltenham tradesmen tried at Gloucester on a charge 
of alleged riot in some proceedings at the Commissioners' meeting. Two of 
them — Mr. Joseph Bidmead, plumber, and Mr. Spaceman — were found guilty 
and sentenced to a month's imprisonment. The affair throughout created intense 
excitement. Mr. Sergeant Ludlow was counsel for the prosecution, and Mr. 
Sergeant Talfurd for the defendants. At the conclusion of their incarceration, 
the two prisoners were brought in triumph from Gloucester, in a carriage with 
four greys, and in the evening entertained at a public dinner at the Lamb Hotel. 

1841." April 26th. The lady of the Hon. Craven Berkeley, M.P., died this 
day in childbtd,at the residence of her husband, 9, Mansfield-street, London. 

1841. October 30th. New Union Workhouse completed and occupied. 
According to the Poor-law Commissioners' Report the building affords accommo- 
dation for 581 inmates. 

1841. October. Lord Ellenborough at Southam, previous to starting for 
India as Governor General. 

1841. December. Mr. John Nicholson appointed Postmaster. 

1842. January. "The Rev. J. Browne, incumbent of Trinity Church, whose 
pastoral duties have extended over a period of 14 years, has just had a most 
gratifying proof afforded him of the love and respect of his congregation. It 
seems that Mr. Browne has for many years defrayed the expenses of the choir 
(about £65 per annum), out of his own private purse ; but the burden now 
proving too much for his resources, a few members of his church met to devise 
meaus of relieving him from an expense which ought properly to devolve on the 
congregation at large ; at this meeting it was further suggested to present the 



558 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



rev. gentleman with some token of the esteem of those attending his ministry, 
and so well was the hint followed up, that within a few days, and in the most 




EAST HAYES, PITTVILLE. 

secret manner, without any idea of what was in agitation being entertained by 
the rev. gentleman himself, a sum was raised amounting to 1000 guineas." 
The total amount subscribed — £1,500 — was invested in a house known as 
te East Hayes," built for and presented to the Rev. J. Browne.—" Examiner." 

1842. February. Charges against Mr. Thomas Boodle, the assistant 
overseer. The Poor-law Board, after a protracted enquiry, exonorated Mr. 
Boodle from all blame, except that he had made greater 'concessions" to the 
parties concerned, than he was called to make in the strict discharge of his 
duty. (Examiner, Feb. 23.) 

1842. April 22. The Post-office removed from the shop now occupied by 
Mr. Caudle, butcher, Clarence-street, to the new buildings near the Police 
Station. 

1842. Fossil remains of an ichthyosaurus or fish lizard discovered by Pro- 
fessor Buckman, in the marl near the Defford Station. The head of this extinct 
monster measured 21 inches. Total length without the tail, 7 feet 2 inches ; 
with the tail, 12 feet. 

1842. May. Rev. A. Boyd, after preaching at Christ Church, some weeks 
pro tempore, signified his acceptance of the permanent pastoral charge of the 
congregation. Mr Boyd continued to occupy the pulpit of Chiist Church until 
his appointment to the incumbency of St. Mary's, Paddington. 

1842. May 30. A man named Frances fired a pistol at the Queen while she 
was passing Constitution Hill. A public meeting was held at Cheltenham, June 
6, to congratulate her Majesty on her providential escape. 

1842. June 8. Permanent enlargement of the Cheltenham Examiner. 

1842. Public Charities.— Mrs Sarah Bate, whose death we were shortly 
since called on to record, has left several valuable legacies to charitable institu- 
tions connected with this borough, among which are £500 to the General 
Hospital and Dispensary ; £500 to the National Schools; £500 to the Female 
Orphan Asylum ; and the like sum to the Dispensary for diseases of women and 
children ; a society particularly directed to the relief of lying-in women 
(Examiner, June 22.) 

1842. Colonnade along the East side of Clarence-street pulled down. 

1812. June 23. First annual distribution of prizes at Cheltenham College 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVEKTS. 559 

The Iter. F, Close congratulated the meeting at its unexpected success, the number 
of scholars being 198. Twenty years later (in 1862) the number of scholars had 
increased to 615; and the prize list (which in 1842 occupied scarcely a quarter of 
a column in our paper) extended over three or four columns, 

1842. July 13. The local shareholders in the Great Western were gladdened 
by the following announcement : — " It is rumoured that the Great Western in- 
tend to divide at the rate of 9 per cent, at the next meeting. We shall be very 
glad to hear that they are able to continue to pay 6." 

1842. July 15 Duel at Osterley Park between the Hon. Craven Berkeley, 
M.P., and Capt. Boldero, M.P. The duel arose out of some disrespectful words 
spoken by Captain Boldero relative to the Queen, words which Mr Berkeley 
called upon him to retract. The parties fired twice without eifect and then left 
the sround. 

1842. August 15. Opening of the great hotel at Swindon station. 

1842. August 15, At the assizes at Gloucester, George Jacob Holyoake was 
found guilty of uttering blasphemy at Cheltenham, and George Adams of selling 
blasphemous publications. Chief Justice Tmdal sentenced Holyoake to six 
mon'hs and Adams to one months' imprisonment without hard labour. 

1842. November ]. Extraordinary proceedings at the magistrates office. 
Lady Ricketts, of The Elms, Mr. J. O. Straford,E-q., a highly repectable solicitor, 
Mr. Edward Cossens, his clerk. Thomas Wright, Esq , surgeon, and others appre- 
hended on a charge of forging the will of the late Admiral Ricketts. The pro- 
ceedings were instituted by Mr. Augustus Newton, a barrister, and son inlaw of 
Lady Ricketts, and created extraordinary excitement. After Mr. Newton had 
occupied several days in insinuations of forgery, fraud, cruelty, and murder, 
against the accused, the Magistrates unanimously dismissed the charge without 
calling upon the prisoners for their defence ; there being, in fact, not a tittle of 
evidence in support of the accusation. 

1842. November 11. Testimonial to J. C. Straford, solicitor, signed by 
nearly every professional man in thetovn, on the late unfounded charges brought 
against him by Mr. Augustus Newton. 

1842. December 9. Mr. Newton applied to the Magistrates for the appre- 
hension of Messrs. George Rowe and George Norman, proprietors of the 
" Examiner," on a charge of criminal libel in certain comments on the late 
charges of lorgery and conspiracy. After a very lively "scene" between the 
parties, the application was refused. In consequence of Mr. Newton taking his 
seat on the bench and interfering with the Magistrates, the Bench next week 
passed a resolulion to prevent his entering bevond the body of the Court. 

1842. December. First through railway roue from Cheltenham to London; 
the narrow-guage lines booking passengers by way of Birmingham, to save the 
coach ride from Cheltenham to I irencester, the Great Western being only as yet 
opened to the latter town. 

1843. Impropriate Rectory, -comprising the chancel and seats therein, — 
purchased by Messrs. Newman and Gwinnett. Refold by them to the trustees of 
the living, in 1 86 L 

1843 January. Plan for the employment of the distressed poor suggested 
in the " Exaiuii er," namely, to set them at work to lay down the stone path- 
ways, since known as " tariff work" The suggestion was adopted, public 
meetings held on the 17th and 25rd, an influential committee appointed, and 
subscriptions received m a few days of upwards of £700. 

1843. January. iC Cheltenham and Great Western "Union Railway," from 
Cheltenham to Swindon, incorporated with the main line of tne Great, Western. 

1843. February 14. FirstGrand Bachelor's Ball at the Assembly Rooms— 
500 present. Among these were the Hon. George Irby, Vice- Admiral Sir George 



560 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



Dashwood, Major-General Sir Archibald Maclaine, Sir George Pocock, and Sir 
Jacob Adolphus. Among the dresses and orders enumerated, were " General 
Maclaine— full dress Major-Ganenl's uniform. Or lers— ' The Bath,' 'Charles 
III.,' and ' St. Ferdinand' of Spain. Col St. Clair, C.B., K.H., K.C., St. B. 
and K,T.S., with medals for action,^ Portuguese General Officer, Portuguese 




THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS. 

General's full uniform ; very handsome. Orders —Star of St. Bento D. Iviz, Com- 
mander of the Bath, BLanover, Tovrer and Sword, Cross, Medals for the Action of 
Nive. Lady Madam* 3 , an original splendid Greek costume of crimson velvet, 
embroidered in gold and. needl 'work ; cap to correspond, tastefully ornamented 
with dia nonds, rubies, and emeralds. The dress was brought home by her lady- 
ship in her travels through Greece and Constantinople, and excited universal 
au miration." 

1843. February 8. Attempted assassination of the Rev. R. Rennett, of 
Evington Cottage, Coombe-hill, by his wife and step-son. Mr. Rennett was a 
clergyman of independent fortnne — possessing, it is said, £1800 a-year — and in 
consequence of some domestic quarrel, his wife's sou shot him with a pistol, his 
wife assisting. Mother and son were committed for trial. On the trial at the 
ensuinsr assizes, both prisoners were acquitted. 

18i3. Seizures for Church-rates made upon the property of C. L. Harford, 
Esq., Mrs. Waterfall, Mr. Willett, Mr Carver, and other members of tbe Society 
of Friends. 

1343. March 9. The tenor bell in the parish tower fell from the beam 
during the ringing of the Thursday evening peal. The ringers beneath 
fortunately escaped unhurt. 

1843. 'March. Withdrawal of Mr. Close from the advocacy of the Gospel 
Propagation Society, on the ground of its supporting clergymen taiuted with 
Tractarian heresies. 

1843. March 24th. Mr. Bright and Colonel P. Thompson lectured in Chelt- 
enham against the Corn Laws. The Assembly Rooms' Committee refused th e 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 561 

use of that building, so the lecture was delivered iii the Union Schoolroom, St. 
George's-street. 

1843. April 8th. Bill of indictment preferred at Gloucester, by Mr. A. 
Newron, against Lady Ricketts, Mr. Slraford, Dr. Wright, Mr. G. Buckman, and 
Mr. Cossens, for perjury and conspiracy. Twenty-six witnesses were examined, 
and the grand jury came to the unanimous decision that "there was not the 
shadow of a shade of evidence in support of the charge." 

1843. April 14. Trial at Gloucester — ■• Newton and wife versus George 
Rowe and George Norman"— for lioel, arising out of the great Ricketts' will 
case. Mr. Sergeant Talfourd was for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Alexander for the 
defendants. The jury (special) returned a verdict for the defendants. 

1843. May. Appeal by Mr. Close against the Great Western Railway 
running Sunday trains into their proposed station at Jessop's Gardens. 

1843. May 8. Remarkable lusus naturae in the instance of a calf born at 
Mr Hughes's, New-street, having eight legs, four ears, two tails, with only one 
head, all perfectly formed. 

1843. June 9th More charges of forgery against Lady Ricketts. Her 
ladyship being in London was arrested through the instrumentality of her son- 
in-law, Mr, Newton, and brought up in custody before Sir Jamas Duke and 
Alderman Musgrave, at the Guildhall. The Bench unanimously dismissed the 
charge and expressed a feeling of "deep regret" that such a charge should have 
been made 

1S43. June 16. Bill of indictment preferred by Mr. Newton against Sir 
Cornwallis Ricketts and Lady Ricketts for forgery. The grand jury at once 
ignored the bill. 

1843. June 22. Second annual distribution of prizes to the pupils of Chel- 
tenham College. The new building, Bath-road, was opened on the occasion, and 
it was mentioned as a subject of congratulation that there were 250 pupils under 
tuition. 

1843. June 23. A whirlwind passed over the Bath-road at 2 p.m., and 
carried off about a ton of new mown hay, some of which fell on the summit of 
Leckharapton-hill, and some at Audoversford. 

1843. August 4. Two Jewish converts admitted into communion with the 
Church of England at the Parish Church. The ceremony of admission was con- 
ducted by the Rev. Mr. Sandberg, himself a convert from Judaism and baptised 
at the same tout a few weeks previously. 

1843. August 16. Death of the Dowager Lady Ellenborough. 
1843. Sale of the Lamb Hotel bv Mr. John Cooke. The price was stated at 
£5,500. 

1843. Mr. Augustus Newton a prisoner in Gloucester gaol under the insol- 
vent act. 

1843. August. New shop? a f t'^e entrance of the Montpellier Walk opened 
for business. Previously this waik was shaded on both sides by trees, so as to 
ensure the utmost privacy to promenaders. The far-famed " musical promenades " 
were held there during the autumn mouths, and with the illumin itions, the rows 
of gas lamps on each side, and the gay throng of promenaders, tt presented a scene 
of attraction, such as has never since been witnessed in Cheltenham. [The view 
on n ,j xt pasre is a sketch of the far-famed Montpellier Avenue at this period.] 

1843. September. The Rev. Mr. Raymond, Vicar of Swindon, published a 
statement in the " Examiner" giving the number of miles walked by Mrs. Webb, 
a poor woman of Boddington, in search of a Union doctor to attend her sick 
husoand : — To Tewkesbury and back, 12 miles ; to Swindon and Cheltenham, 8 
miles; ditto, ditto, 8 miles ; to see Relieving Officer of Boddiugton, 2 miles; to 
Swindon and Cheltenham (twice more) 16 miles; total, 46 miles. 



562 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 






1843. September. Mountjoy, the pedestrian, performed the feat of walking 
60 miles a day for six successive days. He started from the York Hotel, Higfc 
Street, and walked to a mile past Northleach and back twice each day. 

1843. September 19. The obelisk 
which was erected in the gardens 
of Wellington Mansion, to comme- 
morate the visit of the Duke of 
Wellington to Cheltenham, was sold 
by public auction for sixteen guineas. 

1843. October 4. Discovery of 
a chest in the Parish Church of the 
date of Elizabeth, and filled with 
ancient Parish documents. 

1843. November. Various relics 
of the battles between the partizans 
of Oliver Cromwell and Charles 1st, 
found in Jessop's Gardens. 

1843. November 1. Print of 
Gloucester Cathedral, being the first 
of a series of " Illustrations of 
Gloucestershire" presented to the 
subscribers of the "Examiner." 

1843. November 8. Foundation 
stone of Salem Chapel laid by the 
Rev. W. G. Lewis. 

1843. November 30. Fire at a 
farm homse at Willesley, Broadway. 
Mrs. Rimel and six of her children 
perished in the fiames. A public 
subscription was raised in Cheltenham 
-for the survivors of the family. 

1844. January 4. George Wilson, 
William Holtham, and others, bailiffs, were indicted at the Sessions for Assault 
and forcible entry in levying a distress warrant on the premises of Mr. 
Augustus Newton The trial resulted in a verdict of acquittal. 

1844. April 5. Opening of the new Unitarian Chapel, Bayshill, for public 
worship. 

1844. April. Row of houses at the top of the Old Well Walk finished. 
IVhere the street now runs was formerly a narrow footpath leading to Grove 
Cottage, the residence for many years of Sir Charles Morgan, and the front of 
which looked down the Old Wells avenue. 

1844. April 7. Being Easter Sunday, no less than 633 communicants 
jaartook of the sacrament at the Parish Church, 

1844. April 4. A son of Lady Russell, of Montpellier House, shot by the 
.accidental discharge of a fowling piece at Charlton Park The bone of the leg 
was so much shattered as to render amputation of the limb absolutely necessary 
to save the patient's life. 

1844. April 20. Mrs. Newton having been arrested by the defendants in the 
iate action lor libel for the costs, the Judges — Tindal, Coteman, Erskine, and 
Cresswell — held that the arrest was legal. Mrs. Newton was ultimately 
liberated on showing that her reversionary interest in certain property was not 
saleable. Her husband had previously got rid of his own liability for these 
costs by passing through the Insolvent Court. 

1844. * June 6. Salem Chapel opened with sermon by Rev. W. Jay, of Bath. 




MONTPELLIER WALK IN 1843. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 563 

1844. June 15. Action by Mr. Augustus Newton against the Proprietors of 
the " Examiner" tried at Westminster Hail, June 15th, 17th, and 18th. Tha 
" Examiner" of the following Thursday gives the short-hand writer's notes of 
the trial, extending over 28 columns, and thus summarizes the result:— 
u Augustus Newton versus Rowe and Norman. Action for Libel. 
Damages laid at £10.000. Court of Common Pleas, Westminster 
reforg Lord Chief Justice Tindal. Couusel for the Plaintiff. Mr. 
Cockburn, Q.C., and Mr. Petersdorf, assisted by Mr. Montague Chambers. 
At'ornies, Messrs. Badham and Houghton. Counsel for the defendants, Mr. 
Fitzroy Kelly. Q.C., Mr. Alexander, and Mr. Greaves. Defendants' Attorney, 
Mr. James Boodle, Cheltenham. This action, after several adjournments, was 
fixed to come off on Saturday. 15th ; and from the number of witnesses expected 
to be examined, and the peculiar nature of the alleged libels, the defendants' 
pleas of justification, and the eminence of the counsel engaged in the case, much 
interest was felt in the result. The cause was expected to last two days, but it 
will be seen from our report of the proceedings that this calculation was much 
under the mark, nearly the whole oi" the Satnrday being taken up by the 
speeches of counsel and the examination of the plaintiff's proof of publication of 
the libels. Monday was occupied by the witnesses for the defence, who comprised 
Mr. G. E. Williams, Mr. A. Harper, John Blagdon, Esq., J.P., Mr. Smallridge, 
solicitor of Gloucester, Mr. J. C. Straford, Dr. Wright, Lady Ricketts, Miss 
Laviuia Ricketts, and several others ; their testimony was nor concluded until 
ten o'clock on Tuesday morning. At that hour Mr. Cockburn addressed the 
Court in reply, his speech occupying two and a half houra in delivery. The 
learned Judge immediately summed up, occupying one hour. The jury were two 
hours and a half in deliberation, and at a quarter to 5 o'clock entered the Court 
with their verdict, which was as follows : — Upon the First Count, charging Mr. 
i\ewtoo with soliciting briefs, as stated in the letter signed 'Pair Play,' verdict 
for the Plaintiff — Damages, One Panning. Upon the Second Count, charging 
the Plaintiff with rude behaviour at the Police Office ; with having falsely and 
maliciously prosecuted Lady Rickects, Mr. Straford, Dr. Wright, and others, 
without probable cause: and with having falsely sworn to an information against 
them ; also with having imputed improper conduct to Lady Ricketts and her 
daughters — Verdict for the Defendants. Upon the Third Count, charging the 
Plaintiff with, amoi.gst other things, having suborned witnesses in support of his 
accusation, verdict for the Plaintiff — Damages, One Farthing. Upon the Fourth 
Count, accusing the Plaintiff of unprofessional conduct, and of misbehaviour at 
the Police Office — Verdict for the Defendants. The result of this verdict is, 
that the whole costs of the defence, with the exception of a small portion of the 
pleadings, and of two or three witnesses, will fall upon Mr. Newton, besides his 
own Attorneys' costs." [It was afterwards stated that the defendants' costs in 
this extraordinary trial amounted to upwards of £1,100, not one farthing of 
which aid they ever recover from the plaintiff. Mr. — dow Sir — Fitzroy Kelly, 
the leading counsel for the defendants, received about 300 guineas as fees and 
retainers for his services.] 

1844. July 8. Opeumg of Railway from Cheltenham to Bristol. 
1814. Value of Property in Cheltenham. A remarkable instauce of tho 
progressive value ot property in Cheltenham during the last 80 years has been 
brought under our notice b\ a correspondent. In 1766 a field of about three 
acres situate behind the Plough Hotel, was sold for £190 ; tweuty-one years 
after, iu 17^7, the same field and the Plough Hotel sold for £1,825 ; eighteen 
years later, in 1805, the same property was sold for £6,300 ; eighteen years later 
again, in 1823, a portion of the field alone sold for £3,650; while about the same 
time the fiough and the remainder of the field sold lor about £20,000 ; while 



564 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

later still a small portion of the field, about 90 feet square, sufficient to build two 
second-rate houses on, has been sold for £450 : thus we see a piece of land which 
80 years ago sold for £60 an acre, fetching the enormous sum of £450 for a 
portion 90 feet square ; and again property which in 1787 sold for £1,825 selling 
in 1823 for about £24,000, multiplying its value by thirteen times in the space of 
36 years.— "Examiner," July 10. 

1844. July 23. Mr. Augustus Newton tried for perjury at the Worcester 
Assizes. The Judge directed a verdict of acquittal, remarking at the same time 
that it was a very proper case for enquiry. 

1844. August 16. Action by Mr. Newton at Gloucester Assizes against 
Robert Staynor Holford, Esq. (High Sheriff), and his officers, for forcib'e entry 
in serving a writ. (This was the same charge as that tried on the criminal side 
last year.) The defendant paid 40s. into court, and the Jury considered that was 
•* quite enough." Verdict for defendants. 

1844. October 14. Lord Ellen borough created an t'arl on his return from 
India. The noble " Earl" arrived at his seat at Southam on the 5th of 
November. 

1844. October 30. Miles Watkins died, a local eccentric, denominated 
'* The King of the Cheltenham Royal Family." He was by trade a shoemaker, 
and experienced the vicissitudes of fortune in a remarkable degree, dying at the 
age ot 73, in poverty. At the age of 7 years, while watching corn-fields in 
Hale's Road, he discovered a quantity of old guineas in a bank, which he 
exchanged for his first suit of clothes with his mother. His next employment 
was to lead a horse to grass baiting, to Maud's Elm, in the Swindon Road. He 
was one day accosted by the Duchess of Devonshire, who was so pleased with the 
traditionary tale which the boy told respecting the origin of the Elm, that she 
placed him to school for three years at her expense, and at the expiration of that 
time,he was invited to London, and spent a mouth at Devonshire House. He 
was apprenticed to the trade of a shoemaker, and under the patronage of the 
Duchess commenced business in Cheltenham, when he soon accumulated 
property. His vicissitudes now commenced. He was one year in possession of 
thousands, and the next in the most abject poverty, arising jointly from intemperate 
habits, and from free gifts. In 1814, he was in prison for debt, and released 
by Mr. James Webb, the philanthropist. With this gentleman, who had 
£75,000 per annum, Watkins travelled as secretary throughout England, and 
distributed to the poor upwards of £100,000. When on their tour, passing 
through Cheltenham, Miles Watkins invited 600 of his townsmen to the White 
Hart Inn, where he regaled them, and distributed sums of money ; the day's 
entertainment costing upwards of £300. He again became so poor as to subsist 
tipon fruits picked up in orchards, and to sleep in the open air. He next started 
a business in London, became opulent, purchased houses in Cirencester, and once 
more opened a shop in his native town ; again, he sold his property and spent the 
whole in drink, and again was reduced to want. In 1839, he became a pledged 
teetotaller. On May 20th, 1840, His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, who was 
staying at the Queen's Hotel, Cheltenham, sent for Watkins, and finding his 
habits reformed, made him a handsome present. 

1844. November 20. Marriage of W. S.Bond, Esq., to Miss OValaghan, 
by special license, at Christ Church, the first instance of a Church of England 
marriage in any other than the Parish ihurch. The ceremony was performed by 
the Right Hon. and Rev. Lord William Somerset, who afterwards entertained the 
wedding guests at his residence in Lansdown Crescent. 

1844. December 20. Public meeting in Cheltenham in favour of the 
Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway. Mr. S. Baker (the chairman), Mr. 
Bowley, and Mr. Whiteombe, who attended on behalf of the company, pledged 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 565 

themselves that if the town would support the line, best Forest coal could be 
delivered into the cellars of the Cheltenham consumers at from 10s. to 12s. per 
ton. On the faith of this pledge the meeting decided to support the line, a 
considerable number of shares were taken in the town, and Messrs. J. A. 
Gardner, Watson, Skillicorne, Henney, and Gyde appointed members of the 
Provisional Committee. The line was afterwards leased to the Great Western.-— 
" Examiner," Feb. 25th, 1856. 

1844. December 25. Fire at Christ Church, caused by the igniting of some 
faggots placed near a stove. Fortuuately it was discovered in time to avert 
serious damage. The Athanasian Creed having been omitted in the Christmas 
service at the church on the morning of the fire, a wag gave the following 
account of the cause of the conflagration : — 

" Arhanasius was angry at Christ Church they say, 
For rejecting his creed on the last Christmas day ; 
And the worthy old saint to give vent to his ire, 
Determined on setting the vestry on fire !" 
Cheltenham, January 1st, 1845. 

1845. Jauuary 1st. Sir Jacob Adolphus, an old and much respected resident, 
expired at his residence, in Lansdown Crescent, this morning, after along and 
trying illness. Deceased " entered the army as a medical officer ia 1795, and 
whs in active service for thirty-three years, twenty-eight of which were passed in 
the West Indies, being for ten years Chief of the Medical Department, in Ja naica. 
He served in Ireland throughout the rebellion of 1798; and accompanied the 
Walcheren expedition, where the service of the medical officers was most 
arduous ; was appointed Inspector-General of Army Hospitals in 1827 ; was 
Physician-General to the militia forces in the island of Jamaica, and received the 
honour of Knighthood for his long professional services." 

1845. February. Union of the ,k Bristol and Gloucester" and ''Birmingham 
and Gloucester" railways, under one company. 

1845. February. First Prospectus issued of the "Cheltenham Oxford and 
London" Railway, through Northleach, Burford, and Witney, to Oxford and 
Tring. Local Solicitors— Bubb, Lingwoodand Bubb, and Williams audGriffiths. 

1845. February. The annual financial statement for 1844 issued by the old 
Commissioners . — Receipts, £6021 5s. 8d. A.moug the items of expenditure 
were— gas, £2021 14s. Od.; scavengers, £883 6s. 8d.; clerk's salary, JB 1 30 ; 
collectors' saiary, £131 7s. 10d.; surveyor's salary, £100; and "balance in 
hand," £811 2s. 3d. This, we believe, was the first financial statement pub- 
lished by the Board. The meetings of the Commissioners were held with closed 
doors, but application for adraission having been made by Mr. Harper, of the 
" Free Press," and Mr. Norman, of the "Examiner." the Board as a sort of 
compromise, allowed the reporters to inspect and take copies of the minutes of 
proceedings. Among the Commissioners who took an active part in the business 
at this time were — Gen. Whish, Col. Watson, Major Douglas, Capt. Lloyd, Capt. 
Iredell, Dr. Irving, and Messrs. Bell, Harton, Bubb, Churchill, Fisher, Fox, 
Gyde, Merry, Peart, Ridler, Shedden, Straford, Webster, and G. A. Williams. 

1845. February 20. Action in the Common Pleas by Mr. Newton against 
Mr. James Boodle and Messrs. Rowe and Norman for the " illegal arrest" and 
imprisonment of Mrs. Newton. The damages were laid at £5000. Chief 
Justice Tindal directed the Jury that the defendants were guilty of the arrest, 
but that they were quite justified in what they had done. Verdict accordingly. 

1845. March 31. Great meeting of Churchmen and Dissenters at the Town 
Hall to petition against the Grant to Maynooth. The proceedings extended over 
four hours. 

1845. April 22. Case decided in the Consistory Court, Gloucester, establish- 



566 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. 

ing a claim to a pew in the Parish Church, under the faculty of 1794*. The 
Court held that the faculty could not be impeached, and condemned the opposite 
party in the costs of the suit. 

1845. May 2. Commissioners order the owners of houses in Clarence Street 
to pave the foot-path before their premises; and also ordered the owners of 
pieces of void ground in that street to erect fences in front of such ground. 

1845. May. "Piff's Elm," a tree of majestic height in the Tewkesbury 
Hoad, and a striking object for many miles around the vicinity, cut down by 
order of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Its demolition occupied 
fourteen days, nine days in stocking it and erecting the scaffold around it, and the 
residue in lopping the limbs and felling the trunk, which was betweeu eight and 
nine feet in diameter. Nine sawyers were occupied in cutting it up. Notwith- 
standing its great age. the timber was found quite perfect. 

1845. May 13 — 14. Parish boundaries perambulated. The procession was 
headed by the Parochial authorities and a band of music. At one place a man 
had to go up a ladder through a window and out at another window in the back 
of the house, as the " boundary" was supposed to run through the premises. 
When the procession reached the Golden Valley the followers, 2000 in number, 
"were treated with beer and cider ad. lib. In the course of the proceedings, 
Mr. J. Douglas, a retired tradesman, who was just recovering from a severe fit of 
illness, was looking on at the procession when a fellow named Pulham came 
"behind him and pushed him into he deepest part of the Chelt. Such "larking" 
was often practised on these occasions ; indeed, it was considered allowable, as it 
caused the parties subject to these practical jokes to remember the " beating the 
boundaries," if the fact in after years was ever called in question. In the 
present instance Pulham' s conduct led to fatal consequence, for the immersion 
caused such a shock to Mr. Douglas's system as to hasten his death. The 
Coroner's Jury relumed a verdict of manslaughter against Pulham; but on the 
trial at the Assizes in August following he was acquitted through the absence of 
a medical witness. This was the last occasion of beating the boundaries in 
Cheltenham, the practice being discontinued in consequence of no provision being 
made for payment of the expenses under the New Poor Law Act. The origin of 
the practice is lost in obscurity. One of the yokels following the procession on 
this occasion is stated to have given the following explanation to a select circle 
of his fellows : — " That ain't it mun ! If they don't do it every fourteen years, 
Cheltenham would be claimed, mun, by the Catholics !" No doubt a very 
popular solution of the mystery, as the town was just then in the crisis of the 
Maynooth agitation. 

1845. St. Peter's New Church. The subscriptions for the erection of this- 
church now reach the handsome sum of £1564 17s. 6d.; but we are requested to 
inform the friends of church accommodation, that there yet needs £500 or £600 
to make up the sum required, and those who are engaged in procuring subscrip- 
tions are anxious to close the list as early as possible. — " Examiner," May 14. 

1845. June 19th. Fourth annual distribution of prizes at Cheltenham 
College. It was stated by the chairman that the average dumber of scholars- 
was 274 The Ilev. VV. Dobson's name appears for the first time on this 
occasion. 

1845. June 26th. At a vestry meeting this day Mr. William Kidler threw 
out the first hint for an elective body of Commissioners, to bring all the business, 
of the town under one jurisdiction. 

1845. June 29th. Divine service first performed in the schoolroom, Bath- 
road, which had been licensed for that purpose by the Bishop of the Diocese. 

1845. July 3. Severe hail storm in Cheltenham and neighbourhood. The 
High-street was flooded, and several of the other thoroughfares rendered for a 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 567 

tiraei mpassable. In the conservatories of Lord Sudeley, at Toddington, eight 
thousand panes of glass were broken by the hail, and at Hewletts, Wormington 
Grange, aud other exposed localities, the damage was very serious. 

1845. August. A man named William Stanbury sentenced to ten years' 
transportation for robbing his employers. Messrs. Martin add Co., jewellers, of 
this town. The fellow was a leading "saint" among the Mormons, who were 
then creating a great stir in Cheltenham; and in his pocket, on being appre- 
hended, was found a document of "leave and license" to live with another man's 
wife. This document, which was drawn up in due legal form, was as follows : — 
"This is to certify, that I, James Vaughan, aud I, Amelia Vaughan, do mutually 
and peaceably propose, consent, and agree to separate, and live apart; aud 
especially 1, James Vaughan, Hereby do agree that Ameli> Vaughan, my wife 
may live where she likes, and with whom she pleases, so long as she does n it con- 
tract any debt, or cause any debt to be contracted, or trouble James Vaughan, h er 
husband, or refuse to give up her son George when required after two years of age 
and I, James Vaughan, do agree aud consent that the said Amelia Vaughan shall 
be as free as regards the disposal of her person and property (should she hereafter, 
possess any) as though she had never been married; and, likewise, I, Junes 
Vaughan, will not in any way interfere with her, the said Amelia Vaughan, er 
annoy her in a^y way whatever, nor enter any action or suit of law against any 
person with whom she may be residing, on account of her so residing or living with 
any such person ; and I, the said James Vaughan, further promise and agree not 
to claim any property she may hereinafter possess, either by gift or otherwise, 
so long as sue does not contract any debt I may be Lable for. I, William, 
Stanbury, do hereby promise and agree to become liable for all debts the said 
Amelia Vaughan may hereiuafte; contract, and pay the same, if any be so con- 
tracted, so long as this contract is abided by. James Vau^j nan and William 
Stanbury do hereby agree that in case either of them neglect or fail to fullii the 
terras of this agreement so as to cause any suit at law, so tiiat this agreement 
must be taken into court to prove the same, the one that so refuses or tails to 
fulfil his part of the contract, shall forf it and pay to the other the sum of Ten 
Pounds, And I, James Vaughaa. do promise and agree, on condition of my 
having the charge and care of our son George, to allow his mother, Amelia 
Vaughau, free access to him at all reasonable and proper times, in ease of illness 
or otherwise, nor shall he be taken anywhere in the couutry to reside without her 
knowledge. Witness our hands this 1st day of December, 1842, 

"James Vaughan, 
"Amelia Vaughan, 
" Witnesses. " William Stanbury. 

" Henry Fry, 

"The mark of + Caroline Brown." 

1845. August 27th. Mtrriage of the Hon. C. E. Berkeley, M.P. We 
believe we may confidently announce that our worthy and much respected mem- 
ber, the Hon Mr. raven Berkeley, will be this day united to Charlotte, fourth 
daughter of the late General Onslow, of Stou^hton House, Huntingdonshire, and 
widow of the late George Newton, Esq., of CroKton Park, Cambridgeshire. We 
understand that the ceremony will take pla -e at Cranbury Park, near Winchester, 
the seat of Thomas Charaberlayne, Esq., and that Lord and Lady Palmerston, 
Earl Fitzhardinge. Lord Charles Fitzroy. Lady \la*-y Berkeley the Deau of 
Winchester anil Mrs. Gamier, Sir Charles and Lady Burrard, Mr. Campbell, 
M.P. for Salisbury, the Misses Onslow, &c, &c, &c, will be present on the 
interesting occasion. — "Examiner," Aug. 27. 



568 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 



3845. August 28th. Death of General Sir William Hutchinson, K.C.H a 
resident in the town for many years. 

1845. September 2nd. Died at his residence, Cambray, in his 84th year 
Pryse Lockhai t Gordon, Esq. He was the intimate associate of some of the 
most eminent literary characters of the day, amongst whom may be named 
Sheridan, Burdett, Home Tooke, Dr. Parr, Dr.Buiney, Campbell the poet, Prof 
Porson, Sir J. Mackintosh, Monk Lewis, John aud Charles Kemble, Peter 
Pindar (Walcott), Bannister, SirM.A. Shee, George Colman, Sir T Lawrence 
Northcote, Opie, Godwin, Curran, Perry ("Morning Chronicle"), Lord Erskine' 
&c. He was at Brussels at the time of the Battle of Waterloo, and enjoyed the 
honour of acting as chaperon to Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott, on their visit 
to t»e field of that battle. He shortly after returned to England, and passed the 
evening ot his days in Cheltenham, enjoying the friendship of Lord Northwick 
Sir E. Lytton Bulwer, &c, to the last. 




OLD HOUSE, OPPOSITE CAMBRAY. 

1845. November 17th. Died at his residence, Cheltenham, aged 67, Admiral 
Sir Salusbury Davenport, K.C.B., K.C.H. The deceased officer, who took the 
name of Davenport on his marriage with a heiress of that name, was the Captain 
Humphreys who, on the 22nd June, 1807, when in command of the Leopard fifty 
gun frigate, captured the American frigate Chesapeake on the Halifax station 
The action took place under written instructions from the late Admiral Sir George 
Beikeley, ordering the Leopard to search any American vessels he might fall in 
with, for deserters from the English navy. He demanded to search the Chesa- 
peake, which her captain refused to permit ; he thereupon engaged the American, 
killing six and wounding twenty-two of her crew. After the Chesapeake had 
6truck her colours five British seamen were found aboard of her, and on their 
being brought to trial as deserters one was hung, and the others sentenced to five 
hundred lashes each. 

1845. November. Great railway agitation in Cheltenham. The Great 
Western line to Oxford, by Shipton-under-Wychwood, making the distance to 
London 105 miles, was strongly opposed on account of its passing through the 
Pittvilie side of the town in a cutting. The ''Cheltenham. Oxford and London 
line," going direct to Didcot, brought the distance to 97 miles. In the course of 
the controversy which ensued, an influential committee was appointed at a very 
large public meeting, the Rev. Francis Close being chairman, to watch over the 
interests of the town. According to a statement laid before the committee the 
line presented the following features in its passage through the town ; it passed 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 569 

within eighty yards of St. John's Church, thirty yards of Trinity Church, twenty 
yards of Lady Huntingdon's Chapel, fifty yards of Wesley Cuapel, forty yards of 
the General Hospital (now the Female Training College), and ten yards of King- 
street Chapel. It raised the levels of the roadways . Coltham-lane (HaleVroad), 
twenty-two feet; Hewlett-street, three-and-a-half feet ; Winchcomb-street, two 
feet; Henrietta street, eight feet ; High-street, two feet; and New-street, eight 
feet. The town committee made its report to a large meeting held at the Town 
Hall, on the 29th December, when it was decided against this mode of approach, 
and it was further resolved that the mode of approach of the M Cheltenham 
Oxford and London " or Didcot line, which had its terminus in the High-street 
near the site of the old theatre, would not injure the town. The Pittville route, 
though opposed generally by the town, was supported by many names of local 
influence. The Hon. C. F. Berkeley was Chairman of the Board of Directors, 
and the solicitors were Messrs. Bubb, Lingwood and Bubb, and Messrs. Williams 
and Griffiths. On the line going before Parliament the town committee raised a 
fund of £1,000 to oppose it, and Mr. James Boodle was appointed to conduct the 
opposition. The question was, however, not tried out on its merits, as the bill 
was thrown out in Committee of the House of Commons on some question of 
the estimates. These facts are interesting at the present time, as bearing on the 
railway controversy of 1862, and which is— as far as the best mode of passing 
through, the town is concerned — still undecided. 

1846. February 5. Return made to a vestry meeting this day that the 
extent of the parish was o ,2 19 acres, 3 roods and 5 poles; the gross estimated 
rental, £211,134 5s, Id.; rateable value for assessment to the county rate, 
£177 499 , void and poor, 26,000. The vestry passed a resolution to the effect 
that the valuation was " considerably too high/' and that house property was 
very considerably reduced in value, 

1846. February 23. Mews arrived in Cheltenham of the battle of Moodkee, 
between 20,000 British and 60,000 Sikhs. The British, though victorious, lost 149 
officers and 3,084 men in killed and wounded. Many of the officers being former 
residents in Cheltenham, the a*air caused great consternation General Sir 
Robi-rt Sale, who was killed, resided here before going to Iudia, aud Lady Sale 
(since her captivity in Cabul) had been a resident in the town, and was here when 
the news arrived of her husuanu's death. Mwjor F. Somerset, son of Lord and 
Lady Filzroy Somerset, was also among the killed. Major Somerset had accom- 
panied Lord Ellenborough to India, and behaved with great gallantry during the 
Sikh campaign. 

1846. March 6. Died, in his 66tb pear, the Rev. J. Brown, for 33 years 
minister of Cheltenham Chapel. 

1846. March 24. News arrived of the battle of Aliwal, when 12,000 British 
troups, under Sir Harry Smith, defeated the Sikhs, 24,000 strong, and captured 
65 guns. Our loss vv as 600 in killed and wounded. Among the Cheltenham 
officers who fell in this engagement were Lieutenant Smallr.age and Captain 
Knowles, nephew of Colonel Austin, of Lausdown-place. Adjutant Wade, 
severely wounded, was sou of General Sir Charles Wacie, K.C.B., for many years 
a resident here. At the annual meeting of the Naval and Military Bible 
Society, a few days after the news of these losses arrived, the Rev. F.. Close 
observed that, from personal knowledge he could say that there were more than 
twenty-six officers ot the army and navy in the room, and that was a pretty j^ood 
representation of the officers in Cheltenham. For his part he never wished to 
see artillery emplo>ed in any other way than iu firing salutes, and he regretted 
exceedingly that his own childern seemed to have caught some of the same fire as 
his friend ou the left (the Rev. F. Robertson). He should have been much 
better pleased, had it been the will of God to direct them into his own profession; 



570 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

hut, (continued the reverend gentleman,) "I do say as a Christian minister, I do 
firmly believe in the lawfulness of war under the present circumstance of the 
world, and under the restrictions and influences of Christianity ; and T do think 
that those who owe their independence, their property, their easy arm chair, and 
all the blessings of home to the gallantry— under God— to the gallantry and 
devotion of British seamen and soldiers, ought not to prattle so much about the 
unlawfulness of war, for had it not been for men of other determinations and 
dispositions, they would have been in a very different position themselves. It does 
appear to me to be an unanswerable argument on the subject, that you read, 
throughout the New Testament, of numerous conversions in the army both by 
the preaching of John the Baptist, our Lord himself, and His Apostles ; and 
you cannot find a shred of evidence that any one of them ever said to the convert 
'you must leave your warlike profession.' On the contrary, you find them as 
Christians all honouring God in that profession, and consequently the New Testa- 
ment gives us no authority for saying that the profession of arms is unlawful. I 
believe, then, that it is lawful for a man to engage in warfare for the defence of 
his country, his religion, and his fireside, and that God will bless him in that 
profession as in any other. I know that it is the very genius of Christianity to 
destioy war, and if we could only infuse into nations, the same feelings as now 
exist in individuals, then there would be as few duels amongst nations as there 
are now between individuals. But you must agree that that period has not yet 
arrived, and in the meantime, it is your duty and mine to mitigate the horrors of 
war, to soften its sorrows, and to heal its wouuds ; and how can we do this more 
effectually than by pouring into it the balm and consolation of the gospel of 
Chiist, and giving every soldier and seaman that word in his knapsack or ham- 
mock, which shall be his comfort in the desert, and the dark, and the dying hour." 
—"Examiner, April 1. 

1846. June 5. Town Commissioners order a new rate of five pence in the 
pound. 

1846. June 18. Fifth annual distribution of prizes at Cheltenham College 
The number of pupils had now risen to 306. 

1846. Mr. C. H. Hale appointed surveyor of highways by the magistrates 
There had been a dispute, of some months uuration, between the parish and the 
Commissioners as to whose duty it was to repair the roads. The parish found 
they could not legally appoint a surveyor. The magistrates were advised by their 
clerk, Mr. Williams, that they could not legally make the appointment, and the 
commissioners maintained it was not a matter within the jurisdiction of that 
board. The result was that the roads, including the High-street, threatened to 
become impassable, and in this crisis Mr. Williams advised the magistrates that, 
as a matter of discretion, they had better make the appointment. Mr. C. H. Hale 
was thereupon appointed, and it does not appear that the legality of the appoint- 
ment was ever called in question. 

1846. July. Much sympathy excited on behalf of a poor woman named 
Ship, 97 years of age, imprisoned for rent. Captain St. Clair, one of our local 
justices, set on foot a sovereign subscription among his brother magistrates : a 
sum of £40 was speedily collected, and the old woman liberated, a provision being 
at the same time made for her future maintenance. 

1846. July. The Baron of Preston. — We have authority for stating that the 
old Scotch title of Viscount Preston, is about to be assumed by Sir Robert 
Graham, Bart., ofEsk, in Cumberland, who is now residing in Cheltenham. 

1846. July 25. Sir Justinian Vere Isham committed suicide by cutting his 
throat at his residence, 16, Pittville-villas. 

1846. September. The Bristol aud Birmingham Railway first ran their trains 
on Sundays in obedience to a late parliamentary enactment. In reference to this 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 571 

event the Rev. F. Close published a letter in the "Examiner" stating his opinion 
that if it was "caused, as aliened, by the act of the legislature, another page of 
Godless legislation is recorded on the annals of our beloved country, and another 
national sin invokes the displeasure of the Almighty." 

1846. Longevity. — There is at present residing in the pleasant village of 
Wood man cote the widow of a farmer and a servant who has been residing with 
her from her youthful days, whose united ages amount to 197 years; the mistress 
being 99 years of age, and the servant 98. The widow is deprived of sight, but 
otherwise in the enjoyment of good health; the servant is still active for her 
years, and devoted in her attendance on her mistress. — "Examiner," Sept. 9. 

1846. October 8. It was decided at a vestry meeting to put in repair 
Coltham-lane, which forms one of the boundaries of the parish at the Charlton 
side. By the reparation of this road, which was for years impassable, a new and 
beautiful drive has been formed, and the suburbs of the town thereby improved 
and enlarged. It was publicly opened by procession on August 16, 1847, and 
named " Hale's-road," by the Master of the Ceremonies, as a compliment to Mr. 
C. Hale, the town surveyor, through whose perseverance the improvement was 
effected without the aid of the public rates. In the formation of the road, one of 
the workmen discovered a shilling of Queen Elizabeth's reign, date 1578, beside, 
a quantity of .Roman coins. Mr. Hale was presented with a silver tankard by 
subscription, at the completion of the work. 

1846. November 9. Arrival of Earl Fitzhardinge for the hunting season. 
The occasion was marked by a somewhat novel circumstance. A few months 
previous a criminal information had been laid against a clergyman of the town for 
writing certain anonymous letters, and a verdict of guilty returned at the trial at 
Gloucester. The noble lord's name having been mixed up wiih the affair, the 
ministers churchwarden refused to allow the bells to be rung as usual on his 
lordship's arrival. The parish churchwarden, Mr. G. Howe, however, authorised 
the ringers to give the usual salute, and the Incumbent being appealed to at once 
sanctioned Mr. Rowe's decision. The bells were accordingly rung to welcome 
his lordship's arrival. 

1846. December 7. Scheme proposed by the late Thomas Henney, Esq., for 
obtaining a supply of water for public Baths in the Bath-road. A plan and 
section published in the •* Examiner" of the above date. 

1846. January 14. IndiajN Memorial. A column copied from an Hindoo 
design, has just been completed by Mr. Lewis, sculptor, of this town, intended for 
ereciion in the garden of the Earl of Ellenborough,s residence at Southam. On it are 
inscribed the names of the heroes who commanded in the late Indian war, with 
the dates of the various actions in which they distinguished themselves during 
his government. It is profusely decorated with Mural crowns, shields, and other 
emblematical devices, richly sculptured ; the whole is executed in Caen stone. A 
pagoda is erected to receive this interesting memorial. — " Examiner " Dec. 16. 

1847. January. Two more actions by Mr. Newton against Messrs. Howe 
and Norman. These make six actions of the same nature; in all of which, except 
one, verdicts were returned for the defendants. 

1847. January 21. Large meeting in the Town Hall, for the relief of the 
distress in Ireland. The Kevs. E. Close, A. Boyd, and J. Browne, took part, and 
the contributions within a few days amounted to £1,870. Large subscriptions 
were also raised for our own suffering poor, who were again set to " tariff work,'* 
at an expenditure during the severe weather of from £120 to £150 per week. It 
is recorded that on the 7th of February, an old man of 91 died in Cheltenham 
from the inclemency of the weather. 

1847. January 25. Messrs. Herbert and Page (sent down by the Woods' and 
Forests' Commissioners) commenced an enquiry at the Fleece Hotel on the water 



572 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

question, — the Water Company having a bill before Parliament for an increase 
of their powers. 

1847. March. The Cheltenham contributions to the distress in Ireland and 
Scotland, stated to amount to nearly £6000. Of this upwards of £2000 was in 
answer to the appeal at a pubiic meeting. 

184/7. March. Considerable agitation on the Church-rate question. The 
Incumbent held a meeting of his friends, who passed a resolution approving the 
principle of the rate, and a counter meeting, called by Rev. A. M. Brown and 
Rev. W. G. Lewis, was held at the vestry room of Salem Chapel. 

1847. March 5. J. Peart, Esq., a gentleman well kuown, and a member of 
the board of Commissioners, died suddeuly at a board meeting this day. De- 
ceased was in the act of affixing his signature to some official document, when he 
suddenly laid down his pen, fell back in his chair, and instantly expired. 

1847. March 5. Manchester and Southampton Railway Bill thrown out in 
committee on standing orders. So popular was this line that on the letters of 
allotment being issued last year, the shares stood at six pounds premium. 

1847. March 13. A young lady, Miss Julia Quiulan, died suddenly while 
dancing a quadrille at a ball given by Lieut.-Uol. Fitzrnaurice, at his residence, 
Berkeley Place. 

1847. April 14 Action in the Sheriff's Court, Gloucester, by Mr. Bricknell 
against the Great Western Railway, tor the value of a piece of land taken by the 
Company, near Alstone Mill. The jury gave a verdict for £720 purchase money, 
£2 iO severauce and compensation, and £20 for immediate possession. Total— 
£970. 

18 1-7. April 20. First sitting of the New County Court, before James Fran- 
cillon, Esq., the resident Judge, at the office of the Magistrates, then held in a 
room belonging to Messrs. Griffiths, Solicitors. The trial by jury was practised, 
and the first case was successfully gained for the plaintiff, by C. J. Chesshyre 
Esq., a local solicitor. Under the new act juries are summoned, and attorneys 
plead the same as barristers in Superior Courts. Anciently, all cases were tried, 
by the Steward of the Manor, and an application was made to Parliament for a 
renewal of the custom, but it was decided that the privilege was lost by disuse. 

1847. May 24. Great fire at Alder's cabinet warerooms. Besides Mr. 
Alder's own loss, his workmen lost tools of the value of £150. A subscription 
on their behalf was set on foot, and realised uearly £250. 

1847. May 26. The "Examiner" of this date says — "James Francillon, 
Esq., the judge of the new County Courts, has been appointed, by the Lord 
Chancellor, a magistrate for the counties of Gloucester and Wilts. Mr Fran- 
cillon intends taking up his residence in Cheltenham, and those who have 
witnessed his painstaking and impartial conduct, while presiding over his own 
court, will rejoice att'ie addition of his name to our list of local magistrates. It 
is understood that his appointment was entirely the act of the Lord Chancellor 
without the interference of any subordinate authority." 

1847- May 28. Commission of lunacy sat at the Belle Vue Hotel, to enquire 
into the state of mind of Commodore Beattie, of Keynsham place. The jury 
found that the unfortunate gentleman had been of unsound mind since May 
28th, 1845. 

1847. May 31st. Decision, of the Commons Committee in favour of the 
Cheltenham and Oxford (Great Western) Railway. There were two schemes 
this year ; one, a narrow guage line to Oxford and Tring, with station in the 
High-street, and making the distance to London 101^ miles; the other, the 
broad guage from Cheltenham through Burford and Witney to Oxford, distance 
to Paddington 102 miles. The latter line cut through Pittville, with a station at 
the Market-place. It was strongly opposed by the town committee, and a petition 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 573 

against it obtained about 3,000 signatures, embracing, it was said, more than 
half the registered electors of the borough. Alter a month's inquiry in com- 
mittee, the attendance of sixteen solicitors, and the examination of innumerable 
witnesses, this line was carried, and it afterwards received the royal assent. 
Ultimately, owing to a change in the money market, and other causes, the line 
was abandoned. 

1847. June 7th. Arrival in Cheltenham of Sir Harry Smith, the hero of 
Aliwal. An address, with six hundred signatures, was presented to him by Capt. 
Kirwan, M C, at the Belle Vue Hotel. Sir Harry (who was accompanied by 
his lady) made a stirring address to the crowd assembled in the gardens of the 
hotel. Sir Harry and his lady resided some time in Cheltenham, the latter 
taking a couise of the mineral waters, under the advice of Dr. Cannon. 

1847. June 7th. George Stokes, Esq , one of the founders of, and chief 
writers for, the Religious Tract Society, died suddenly at his residence in Chelt- 
enham. The notice of his death states, " So calm was his end that not a ruffle of 
the bed-clothes gave evidence of any mortal struggle, and it is a singular coinci- 
dence that his death took place as nearly as possible at the same time anil in the 
same manner as that of the late Dr. Chalmers, of Edinburgh." 

1847 June 24th Indictment for "wilful and corrupt perjury" preferred 
against Mr. J. C. Straford, by Mr. Augustus Newton, tried in the Queen's 
Bench before Lord Chief Justice Penman and a special jury. Sir F. Thesiger 
appf ared for the defendant, and the jury, after a moment's consultation, returned 
a verdict of '* not guilty." The Lord Chief Justice expressed his entire concurrence 
with the finding of the jury, and refused to allow the costs of the prosecution. 

1847. July 7th. The Hon. Craven Berkeley reported to have made a speech 
in the House of Commons to the effect that " more deaths from miasma occurred in 
Cheltenham than in any other town of the same size in England." This created 
so much dissatisfaction that it was one of the main causes of Mr. Berkeley 
losing his seat at the next election. Mr. Henney, at a cost of some thirty pounds, 
out of his own pocket, caused an abstract of the comparative mortality of this 
and other towns to be made and published in the Times and other leading papers. 
This document gave the following results ; that the annual number of deaths 
out of every thousand inhabitants, stood as follows: — In Cheltenham, 20; in 
Brighton, 25 ; in Bath, 27 ; in Clifton, 26 ; in Bristol, 28 ; in Birmingham, 28 ; 
in Worcester, 27; in Manchester, 31 ; and in Liverpool, 33. Dr. Boisragon and 
Mr. C. H. Hale also published letters in the " Examiner" to the same effect. 

1847. July 22nd. Public dinner at the Assembly Rooms of the supporters 
of the Cheltenham and Oxford railway to celebrate the passing of the Company's 
Bill through Parliament. 

1847. July 30th. Sir Willousjhby Jones returned by a majority of 108 votes 
— the first Conservative candidate ever returned for Cheltenham. The new 
member was "chaired" through the tov\n amid a general demonstration of blue 
favours. 

1847 August 12th. Letter from Earl Eitzhardinge declining his usual 
present of red deer for the Cheltenham Sta&r Hunt; also claiming the hounds as 
his Lordship's property, and requiring them to be sent at once to Berkeley 
Castle. Mj, Theobald thereupon offered to undertake the mastership of a new 
pack. This offer was accepted, and a committee, consisting of Messrs. Eortescue, 
Gardner, Thompson, Skillicorne, and Henuey, appointed to make arrangements 
for keeping up the sport as heretofore. 

1847. August, 16th. Eirst experimental trip on the Great Western Railway, 
w 7 ith the engine D'Jered, conveying I. K. Brunei. Esq., and suite to Cheltenham. 

1847. August 17th. Public dinner to Sir Willoughby Jones, M.P., at the 
Assembly Kooms, 



574 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

18*7. September 6th. Foundation stone of St. Peter's Church laid by Sir 
Willoughby Jones, Bart , M P., in presence of a large number of spectators. 

1847. September 16th. Sudden death, at her residence, Cheltenham, of the 
Hon. Anna Twistleton, mother of Lord Saye and Sele. 

1847. September 19th. Died, at 4, Wollesley-terrace, Lieut.-Gen. Sir Henry 
Keating, K.C.B. He entered the army in 1793, and after a long period of 
brilliant services, was made, in 1836, a Knight Commander of the Bath, and had 
a service of plate of the value of five hundred guineas voted to him by t he East 
India Government. 

1847. September 27th. Died at Torquay, Yice-Admiral Sir Charles Dash- 
wood. K.C.B., and G.C.T.S. Deceased entered the navy in 1779, and was, at the 
time of his death, the last living officer of the Eormidable, in which ship lie 
served as aide de camp to Lord Rodney in the actions of Aprii 9th and 12th 1782. 
He was thus sixty-eight years in the navy, upwards of forty of which he served 
at sea. 

1847. October 12th. Laying the first stone of Eauconberg House, Bayshill, 
for the residence of Mr. Charles Eowler. The building was designed by Mr. S. 
Onley, and it is now the residence of Col, Church Pearce. 

1847. October 15th. Erst meet of the new pack of stag hounds at the 
Plough Hotel. The deer was uncarted at Shurdington, and, after making towards 
Cheltenham, breasted the steepest ascent of Leckhampton Hill, and was safely 
captured near the Seven Springs. 

1847. October 15th. A proposition before the Commissioners for throwing 
the ordinary meetings of that body open to reporters, but not to the ratepayers, 
ne^^tived by 14 votes to 7. 

1847. October 17th. "Penance" at the Parish Church. An exhibition, 
fortunately of rare occurrence in these enlightened days, took place on Saturday 
last, at the Cheltenham Parish Church. Throughout the Week rumours had been 
afloat that some unlucky wight who had made rather too free with the fair fame 
of his neighbours, had been ordered by the Ecclesiastical authorities to expiate 
his offence by doing penance in a white sheet. It was asserted that the sheet, 
tapers, and other paraphernalia of the ceremony had been duly provided by the 
churchwardens, and the curious in such matters were, of course, on the tip-toe of 
expectation. Saturday morning came, and towards ten o'clock some hundreds of 
persons found their way to the Parish Church, where the presence of the curate, 
the churchwardens, and a proctor from the Consisturial Court, seemed to 
give colour to the prevailing rumours. A large white cloth, which hung 
most suspiciously within the vestry door also gave "confirmation strong" 
of the reality of the coming ceremony, and the eager sight seers arranged 
themselves in the most convenient parts of the building to witness it. 
The galleries were filled by a motley assemblage of both sexes, every seat and 
pew in the vicinity of the communion table was crowded with occupants, and the 
venerable old structure presented more the appearance of a theatre, or a cockpit, 
than of a place of Christian worship. Fortunately for public decorum and 
decency, all this eager curiosity was doomed to disappointment. About twenty 
minutes after ten the culprit entered the church, and proceeded to the vestry 
room ; but there were no bare feet, no white sheet, no lighted tapers, but a simple 
form of recantation was read over and subscribed to, and the crowd who thronged 
the sacred edifice, finding there was no fun to be seen, quietly dispersed.-— 
" Examiuer," October 20th. 

1847. October 23rd. The Great Western Railway publicly opened to the 
station at Jessop's Nursery. Dinner at the Plough in honour of the event. The 
Act for making this line had beeu obtained many years previously, and its con- 
struction was at last carried into effect in consequence of a memorial having been 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 575 

presented to the directors. It was signed by the Lord of the Manor and upwards 
or 300 owners and occupiers, and was accompanied by an intimation that if more 
time had been given to it, previous to the meeting of the directors, a much more 
extensive list of signatures might have been obtained. 

1847. November 4th. The Town Commissioners passed a resolution to the 
effect that it would be desirable to have an illuminated clock over the Public 
Offices, High-street. The resolution, from some unexplained cause, was never 
carried into practice. 

1847. November 4th. Resignation of the Rev. W. F. Wilkinson, Theological 
Tutor of Cheltenham College. The rev. gentleman happening to be at a lecture 
given by Mr. George Dawson, in this town, proposed a vote of thanks to the 
lecturer at the close of the proceedings. The Directors of the College censured 
his so doing, and this vote of censure led to his resignation. The affair caused 
much controversy at the time; a public meeting of the inhabitants presented an 
address of sympathy with Mr. Wilkinson, and a like address was presented to him 
by the members of the Literary Institution. Ultimately, the facts being reported 
to the Government, a valuable living in the city of Derby was presented to Mr. 
Wilkinson by the Lord Chancellor. 

1848. January. Sir W . Jones, for a few months member for Cheltenham, was 
sojourning at the residence of his mother, Lacly Jones, at Evesham-house. The 
Hon. Craven Berkeley, the ex-member, was staying at the same time at the 
Queen's Hotel. 

1848. January 7. Town Commissioners' ordered a borough-rate of six-pence 
in the pound. 

1848. January 11. The appointment of Dr. Hampen to the Bishopric of 
Hereford created a very warm controversy in the Church. At a meeting of the 
Gloucestershire clergy a resolution condemnatory of Dr. Hampden's appointment 
was carried by 72 to 28 voles. Dr. Jenner and the Rev. F. Close strongly 
opposed the resolution, and it was understood that most of the Cheltenham clergy 
voted against it. 

1848. January 11. Died, James Corry, Esq., at his residence, Montpellier 
Spa-buildings, in the 76th year of his age. Mr. Corry was the intimate friend 
and companion of Tom Moore, the Bard of Erin, and formed one of the celebrated 
brotherhood of "The Kilkenny Boys," who were mixed up so largely in the 
events which took place in Ireland preceding, and at the time of the union. 

1848. January 11. An incident occurred in connection with Mr. Feargus 
O'Connor's Snig's End land scheme. A number of waggons and carts passed in 
procession through the town containing the settlers and their belongings on their 
way to the Snig's End estate. Mr. Feargus O'Connor himself w r as expected to 
have been in the procession, but does not appear to have been present. 

1848. January 25. Foundation stone of the new hospital laid by the Right 
Hon. Lord Dunally. 

1848. February. Great dissatisfaction appears to have been created here, as 
elsewhere at Lord John Russell's imposition of a "five per cent, income-tax." 
A petition against the tax, with 900 signatures, was presented by Sir Willoughby 
Jones. 

1848. February. Miss Jane Cooke gave five acres of land as a site for the 
new Training College. 

1848. March. Presentation of an address to Lord Fitzhardinge on the com- 
pletion of the 40th year of his annual visit to Cheltenham. The address was 
presented at the Dowdeswell meet, and was read by Mr. S.imuelOnley amid much 
cheering. The report states that there were three thousand pedestrians and four 
hundred horsemen present on the occasion, and that the road was, for a consider- 
able distance, lined on both sides with the carriages of the nobility and gentry. 



576 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1848. Seizure or Church-rates. — A. seizure for church-rates was made last 
week at the house of tlie Rev J. Blomfield, minister of the Bethel (Hap'ist) 
Chapel. The article taken was a looking-glass, stated to be worth £1 5s. The 
Tate and costs owing were about 8s. " Examiner," March 29. 

1848. April. The " Examiner" of April 12 has the following :— " On Dit. 
— That among the names about to be added to the commission of the peace for 
this district, are those of C. L. Harford and W. N. Skillicorne, Ksqrs.-, both resi- 
deuts of Cheltenham. We believe that the appointment of these gentlemen will 
be received with universal satisfaction." 

The same paper on May 12th says — "We stated some weeks back that the 
names of C. L. Harford, and W. N. Skillicorne, Esqrs., were about being a 'ded 
to the commission of the peace for this county. The necessary forms having 
since been gone through, these gentlemen are now duly empowered to qualify as 
Justices of the Peace for the Cheltenham district." 

1848. April. Fashionable Movements. — The Earl of Ellenborough has 
returned to Southam, intending to pass the Parliamentary holidays amongst his 
Cheltenham frbnds. Dr. Whatelev, Archbishop of Dublin, is expected to arrive 
in Cheltenham next week. Mrs. Whatelev and part of the family have already 
arrived at Brandon House, near St. Phillip's Church which has been taken for 
his Grace's residence. — Lord Northwick, Lord Dunalley, and Lord de Saumarez, 
all purpose sperding the Easter recess at their respective residences in Chelten- 
ham. — The Earl and Countess of Erne, who had been residing in Clarence-xqu ire 
for the last two or three months, took their departure for Duolin a few days ago. 
— "Examiner," April 26. 

1848. May. Important Post-office enquiry. A packet of political papers 
addressed to Mr. Boodle, the Liberal agent, having been delayed in the delivery, 
one of the clerks in the office was accused of having opened the packet and 
divulged its contents. Mr. Ilamsay was sent down by the Postmaster General to 
enquire into the matter, and the result was that the clerk was suspended. — ■ 
'•Examiner," May 17. 

1848. June 29. Cheltenham Election. On the night of the polling a voier 
named Mulcock, a fly proprietor, left his home and next day his body was found 
in the stream near Pittville lake. A prolonged enquiry was made into the cir- 
cumstances, but the mystery was never solved. 

1848. July. The Town Commissioners' resolved to write to nine members of 
their body, residing at a distance, soliciting their resignation in order that the 
vacancies might be filled up by ratepayers residing in the town. 

1848, Glut of Salmon. — During the past fortnight, salmon has been selling 
at the fish shops at prices varying from 6d. to 9d. per lb. The itinerant vendors 
have been hawking it about with the cry of" Severn salmon, three pound- for a 
shilling !" — " Examiner," July 16. 

1848. August. Obituary. — We have to record this week the death of .M 
John Hulbert, of the Knapp, who for many years filled the office of High Co 
stable, under the Lord of the Manor of Cheltenham. Mr. Hulbert was wel 
known, and much respected. He was a very active and useful member of the 
Liberal party in politics, and both in public and private his loss will be deeply 
regretted. His death took place on Sunday morning, the 27th. On the name 
day died, at Prestbury, Mr. David Geoige,auotherof our oldest and mosr respected 
fellow townsmen. Mr. George had been in ill-health for many years, but is 
death was at last sudden and unexpected. We have had to notice the demise of 
an unusual number of old inhabitants of the town. A few weeks since Mr. 
Benjamin Norman, and more recently Mr Johnson, engraver, and Mr. Humphris, 
have been recorded in our obituary.—" Examiner," August 30. 

1848. September. Accounts received in Cheltenham, of the suicide of 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 577 

Col. Prince, formerly well-known in the town. He was a member of the Canadian 
Legislature and conspicuous from his services in quelling the rebellion of 1838. 
He shot a number of prisoners taken in th it rebellion, an! was supposed to have 
been driven to tiie act of self-destruction by the odiu n attached to that act of 
cold blooded butchery. [In reference to this entry, Mr. William Hollis, of 
Badgeworth, au intimate friend of the Colonel, writes us on January 22nl, 1SG3, 
that the report of Col. Prince's death is altogether a mi>take. Mr. llollis 
says — "The Colonel is not dead; thank God for it! bui still liviug in his 
glory, a hale old man, with his well earned honours smiling happily around him. 
With us he was a moving, busy man; in that part of her Majesty s dominions 
where he has since resided, he still remains a striking instance of h ill iwed 
respect among a great majority of Canadian citizens. For his exertions in patting 
down the rebellion he was justified, aud obtained for himself great credit from 
the government; and he has continued a member, and considered o ie of the 
most eloquent speakers in the House of Assembly." — William Hollts.] 

181*8. September 15. This afternoon a deplorable accident occurred between 
Cheltenham aud Gloucester, by which three workmen on the line were killed, 
and two others seriously injured. The men were engaged upon the line near 
the tLitherley Bridge, and were standing on the up rails counting tile trucks ia 
one of the Midland down trains, when the Great Western train from Gl mce'ster 
came upon them unawares, aud swept them, down lik3 a ft >ck of sheep. No 
blame sterns to be due to any parties connected with the railway. The engine- 
driver of the Great Western train blew both his whistles to apprise the poor 
fellows of their danger, bat the noise made by the goods' trucks prevented I heir 
hearing, and it was impossible to stop the train until it had passed over them. 
The driver seeing he could be of no service without medical assist in^e, 
immediately drove on to Cheltenham. Dr. Brookes, the medical offieer of the 
Great Western Compauy, immediately proceeded on the pilot- engine, to the seme 
of the catastrophe. On arriving there, the sceme which presented itself was too 
awful for description. Tae bjdies of the sufferers were crushed and mingled in 
a shocking manner, so much so, that it was with the greitest difficulty that tlie 
different portions were put together for conveyance to Cheltenham. Toe two 
wounded men were conveyed to the Hospital, and though shoekinglv mutilated 
ultimately recovered. [Through the good offices of vlr. Ch tries Hale Jes^op 
aud the iiev. A.. Boyd, a sum of £230 was raised by subscription for the sulf rers 
by this uufortunate occurrence, by which three widows and fourteen orphan 
children were deprived of their protectors.] 

1SA8. September 21. Arrival of Sir Charles Napier in Cheltenham. "This 
gallant veteran arrived in Cheltenham on Tnursday, and, as we auuouueed last 
week, has taken up his resideuce in Imperial Squire, tie his diity been a no ig 
the most conspicuous attendants at our spas and pronemdes, and his been 
engaged in receiving and returning the visits of his brother officers at present 
residing here. Sir Charles has brought with him his horse (a little Arab; w licli 
bore him during most of his ludian battles, and mounted on which he may be 
daily seen in public. Amoug the officers who have served with him, and w ho are 
now in Chelteuha u, may be mentioned Colonel Willie, his A Jjutant-G-n^ral ; 
Major McMurdo, his soa-iu-law, and Quartermaster-General, wuo wa< with him 
through all his Indian battles; Colonel L,loyd, wao commtnled his Artillery; 
Major Leslie, com nanding the Horse Artillery, and commanding it so gallantly, 
that, at the especial command of Lord Eileaborough, it is known as " Leslie's 
Troop ;" Major Poole, of the gallant 22nJ ftegimeut, the regiment lei by Napier 
himself into action; Captain Tait, commanding the Regular Horse; Colonel 
Harrison, who commanded the Light Company of the 50tn (Sir Cnaries'.s— cnen 
Major Napier — own regiment) at the battle of Corunna ; Captain Robertson, 



578 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

who served with him in the Peninsular and America ; Colonel Clarke Kennedy, 
who so gallantly captured the Trench standard at Waterloo ; and several others 
whom we cannot particularize." — "Examiner," Sept. 27. 

1848. September 28. Preliminary meeting to consider the propriety of 
introducing the " Health of Towns' Act" into Cheltenham. At a public meeting, 
held October 10, it was resolved to petition for the introduction of the Act. 

1848. October 5. Public Dinner to Sir Charles Napier at the Queen's Hotel. 
Lords Ellenborough, North wick, and Dunally, and between 80 and 90 Indian 
officers assembled to welcome the veteran at this banquet. 

1848. October 15. Died, at the ad vanced age of 76, Richd. Oglesvy, Esq., R.N. 
Deceased was in the navy between forty and fifty years ; was a master in 1804, 
and possessed at the time of his death his original appointment to H.M.S. 
Hydra, on the 18th of January, 1805, with the signature. " Nelson and Bronte," 
in the handwriting of the great naval hero. Capt. Oglesvy served under Lords 
Collingswood and Nelson, and with Sir Ralph Abercrombie. He was engaged 
at the Nile, at Trafalgar, and the other great sea-fights of the last war, and was 
present on board the Victory when the immortal Nelson received his death 
wound. He was the messmate at various times with Rear-Admiral Sir Salisbury 
Devonport, Rear-Admiral Sir J. Munday, and the Hon. Capt. Berkeley. During 
his retirement from active service he led a quiet and secluded life, but he main- 
tained to the last the friendship and esteem of those gallant spirits with whom, 
in more troublous times, he had "braved the battle and the breeze" in his 
country's service. 

1848. November 1. The Great Western R-ailway Directors discontinued the 
practice of issuing return tickets between this town and London. 

1848. November 1. Great Meeting at the Town Hall to commemorate the 
Fiftieth Anniversary of the Church Missionary Society. 

1848. November 12. Cheltenham Parish Church was crowded to-day, 
morning and evening, when the Rev. Alexander Crummel, a gentleman of 
colour, delivered two sermons in behalf of the funds of the Negro Church, New 
York. His appeals were responded to by collections amounting to £90. 

1848. November 15. Preliminary announcement of Messrs. Rowe and 
Onley, proprietors of the Old Weils, for restoring these wells, and preserving 
them for ever, as a public ornament and attraction to the town of Cheltenham. 

1848. November 23. First appearance of Jenny Lind in Cheltenham; she 
sang at the MoDtpellier Rotunda. It is said that some of our local speculators 
in amusements offered the fair singer 400 guineas for one or 700 guineas for two 
concerts, but that the offer was declined. 

1848. November 28. Presentation of a massive service of plate, subscribed 
for exclusively by the wives of electors of the borough, to the Hon. Craven 
F. Berkeley. 

1849. January 18. Considerable excitement, caused by an alleged threat of 
the Rev. E. Close to withdraw his support from the Cheltenham Hospital, if the 
Board received the proceeds of an amateur dramatic performance, got up in its 
favour. The entertainment took place on the 18th, and the audience was one of 
the most aristocratic ever assembled in Cheltenham. Mr. Close wrote an 
explanatory letter, stating that though he was opposed to all dramatic entertain- 
ments, he never threatened to withdraw his support from the Hospital ; but, on 
the contrary, had advised the Board to accept the proceeds, as the entertainment 
was got up without their interference. 

1849. February 8. It was staied at the meeting of the Guardians this day, 
that the yearly consumption of beer and spirits in the Workhouse, (with an 
average number of 218 adult inmates), amounted to £277 12s. 3d. From a 
tabular statement laid before the Board, it appeared that the annual cost per 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 579 

head for spirituous liquors in nine unions is as follows : In Liverpool, 10s. 3^d. 
Bath, Is. 4d. ; Stroud, 2s. 7^d ; Chatham, 9s. 7d. ; Worcester, 5s. 5d. ; 
Tewkesbury, 3s. 3d. ; Northleach, os. 6d. ; Pershore, 2^d. ; and in Cheltenham, 
£\ 5s. 5id. 

184-9. February 22. Edward Creasey, Esq., commenced an official enquiry at 
the George Hotel as to the advisability of applying the provisions of the Public 
Health Act to Cheltenham. 

1849. March. News arrived in Cheltenham of the disastrous battles of 
Chillianwallah on the Jhelum ; wherein the British, under Lord Gough, met 
with severe reverses, having 26 officers killed and 66 wounded. Sir Charles 
Napier was immediately applied to by the Duke of Wellington to take the 
command of the Indian army; and it was on this occasion the Duke addressed 
Sir Charles in the memorable words: "If you don't go, I must." Among the 
officers who fell in these disasters was Brigadier Pennycuick, and many others 
well-known in Cheltenham. During one of his Visits to London, Sir Charles 
Napier was transacting business at the Horse Guards; and it was suggested by 
the authorities there, that it might be a satisfaction to Sir Charles, and a 
consolation, though a mournful one to Mrs. Pennycuick, if he were to charge 
himself with the delivery of the medal, &c, to which her husband had been 
entitled. He readily engaged to do so. Sympathy for the widow, and warm 
regard for his fallen friend, engrossed the hero's thoughts, and two hours were 
not suffered to elapse after his return to Cheltenham, ere he found or made an 
opportunity to discharge the sad duty which he had undertaken, and Mrs, 
Pennycuick had the mournful satisfaction of receiving the expressions of Sir C. 
Napier's high appreciation of her husband's merits, and the tokens of his 
country's approbation of his services, at the hands of the man whom that 
husbaud most valued. 

2849. March 13. Departure oe Sir Charles Napier prom. Chelt- 
enham. The il Examiner " gives the following account of his departure : 

" The gallant general left Cheltenham for London yesterday afternoon by 
express train. He was accompanied to town by his son-in-law, Major McMurdo, 
and other members of his family. A number of his old companions in arms, and 
others, thronged the platform, and greeted him with hearty cheers, and many 
warm wishes for the success ot his mission. Among those present, we noticed— 
Capt. Sir Richard O'Conor, R.N., Col. Clark Kennedy, General Hunter, Col. de 
Coursey, Capt. Robertson, Capt. Phibbs, Capt. Kirwan, Mr. Stewart, Capt. 
Iredell, Capt. Dwarris. Mr. Portescue, Mr. Henney, Mr. Wightwick, Mr. Ridler, 
Mr. Walters, (of the Times), Mr. Schonswar. Capt. Cox, &c, &c. 

" On entering the carriage which was to bear him away, the gallant hero was 
again greeted with cheers, and his old friends pressed round the window to offer 
him their last congratulations. On these manifestations subsiding, Sir Charles 
addressed the assembled multitude to the following effect : 

"Ladies and gentlemen, — I thank you for your kind attention in coming to 
see me leave. I wish you all good bye, and I hope I may not disappoint the 
wishes and hopes of my country." 

■ * Loud cheering followed this brief address, and was again renewed as the 
carriage rolled swiftly away, bearing with it a brave and gallant heart, towards 
the scene of his past glories and future labours, and we trust, future 
victories." 

1849. March 23. St. Peter's Church. The new church of St. Peter's 
on the Tewkesbury-road, was eonsecreted on Thursday last. The Bishop of 
Gloucester and Bristol officiated at the ceremony, the sermon being preached by 
the Rev. J. Brown, of Trinity. The new building is of very unique design, and 
reflects great credit on Mr. Daukes, the architect, and Mr. T. Haines, the 



580 



HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 



"builder. The church has been erected almost entirely by private subscription. 
The Communion table was the gift of Messrs. Ureh and Seabright, and the porch 
was presented by Mr. J. Simmonds, the churchwarden. "Examiner," VI arch 28. 
[The funds required for this building- amounted to £2.000, and Mr. John Russell, 
who was authorised by the Incumbent to collect subscriptions. From Mr. 
Russell's subscription book we extract a few o: the donations, viz. :— Rev. F. 
Close, £25; a Lady, £100; S. Auders'm, £50, (and £50 more if required); a 
Friend, ±50; Anonymous, £100; J. Eothergill, E^q.,£50; N. Hartland, Esq., 
£25; Mrs. Tatham (widow of the late rector of Lincoln College, Oxford). £50 ; 
J. A. Gardner, Esq., £25 ; E. L. Arrmtage, Esq , £50 ; Mrs. Williams, £50, (and 
£50 mere if required); Mrs. Mitforri, £25; Sir Richard Wollesley, Bart., £5 ; 
T. Eodley, Esq., £20; J. P. W. Butt, Esq., £50; Mrs. Morgan, £25; Geo. 
Stokes, Esq , £15. A sufficient fund was thus >aised to entitle the church to be 
placed under the controul of trustees, instead of the patronage becoming" 
alienated to the crown. The subjoined engravings represent the exterior and 
interior of this beautiful edifice.] 




st. peter's church, tewkesbury road. 

1849. March 26. Col. John Wolridge, of Cleveland House, destroyed himself 
hy jumping into the Marie Hill pond. Deceased, who was in his 69th year, had 
been in an unsettled state of mind for some time from the effects of a railway 
accidpnt. 

1849. March 27. The Cheltenham Tree Press sold by auction to the present 
proprietor, Mr. Alfred Harper. 

18 19. April. War Medals. The following officers in Cheltenham are 
mentioned to us as having received the war medal : Lieut.-Col. Cuppage, with 
seven clasps; Major Bowlby, with five clasps; Capt. Miles, with one clasp 
Lieut. Dw arris, R.N., with one clasp; Lieut. Bridges, R.N., with one clasp. 
Capt. Llovd, H.N., of Priory Cottage, in this town, has had confered upon him # 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENT3. 



581 



by the First Lord of the Admiralty, one of the two good service pensions of 
£150 per annum. Long may he live to enjoy it. '•Examiner," April 4, 




INTERIOR OF ST. PETERS CHURCH. 

1849. April 19. The foundation stone of the Cheltenham Training ''ollege, 
laid by Lord Ashley, now Earl Shaftesbury. Dr. Hugh McNeille preached on 
the occasion. 

1849. May 3. The Board of Guardians, by a majority of 19 to 9, decided 
on remunerating the as-i-tant-overseer by a fixed salary of £3';0 per aunum, 
instead of, as heretofore, paying him part y by salary and partly by poundage. 

1849. Decrease of Marriages in Cheltenham. The Registrar General 
of Marriages has perpetrated a sad libel upon the gallantry of the beaux of 
Cheltenham. Rapidly as the town is increasing in population, it would appear 
from the Registrar's returns that the marriages have decreased in number, within 
the last five years, in proportion of 137 to 96. A fact not very creaitable to the 
character of Young Cheltenham. " Examiner," May 23. 

1849. May 9. Meeting at Gloucester, convened on the requisition of owners 
and occupiers of 407,765 acres of land iu the county, to cons der "the present 
distressed state of the agricultural interest and the best means to be adopted for 
the relief thereof." 

1849. "A good time coming." We are enabled to announce to the rate- 
payers of Cheltenham, on what we believe to be pretty good authority, that two 
of the most important items in our local burdens are likely to undergo this year 
a sensible dimunition. The poor-rates, which have been lor the last year or two 
3s. in the pound per annum, will, we believe, be ieduced to 2s. or 2s. 6d. ; 
while the Commissioners rates will be also reduced from 16d. in the pound to 
about 14d. ; forming a reduction on these two items of one-fourth of the entire 
amount. "Examiner," June 27. 



582 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1849. Fish : Salmon has been so plentiful during the past week, that prime 
"Severn" has been ticketed at 7d , and "Irish" at 6d. per lb. — "Examiner," 
Jnlv 38. 

1849. July 27.;: Saicide of Capt. Robert John Colville, of 2, Paragon-ter- 
race, aged 70. 

1849. July 27. The Ricketts' Will Cause. "This week a judgment 
was delivered in the Prerogative Court, which puts an end, we hope for ever, to 
the long pending suit, known as ' the Ricketts' will cause.' Those who are, for- 
tunately for themselves, inexperienced in the harassments of litigation, know 
nothing of the vast amount of wrong and persecution which may be inflicted 
under colour of the law. To such it will hardly appear credible, that the pro* 
ceedingsin our Police Court in 1842, can be connected with a suit still pending 
in 1849; that throughout these long years runs one continuous chain of events, 
in which the same parties have been tortured by the most cunning devices, have 
been subjectpd to the most harrassing disquiet of mind and body, and have be en 
mulcted in legal expenses to an amount, which of itself swells into a fortune. 
Yet such is the case. Though gaining decision after decision in their favour, the 
same charges have been multiplied in form, and brought under the notice of 
Court after Court, until at last we have arrived at what, we trust, will be a final 
decision. It is some consolation to these parties to know that the judge who 
pronounced this decision, also characterised in severe terms the nature of the 
proceedings which had been instituted against them. It must be consolatory to 
the surviving mem hers of this estimable family, that the Court had declared them 
to have been the victims of * persecution' and ' vindictive proceedings.' It must 
be consolatory to the respected head of that family, to hear from the Court 
that " it could not believe for one moment" the charges brought against her ; 
and it must be consolatory also to Mr. Straford, the solicitor for the defendants, 
to hear from the same high legal authority, that of the grave charges brought 
against him that he had been " honourably acquitted," and that the other accu- 
sations against him were 'equally unfounded.' . We regret that our experience of 
the law of libel forbids us to give a verbatim report of this important judgment, 
that the public may see in what indignant language the opinions of the judge 
were conveyed to his heaiers." — "Examiner," August 1st. 

1849. August 9. Sale of the Police Station and lock-up in Ambrose-street; 
also the " Public Stocks," by Mr. Charles Wood, under instructions from the 
Town Commissioners. 

1849. August. Deaths from cholera throughout the country, between 200 
and 300 a week. The disease was for some weeks at Gloucester and other 
neighbouring towns; but Chfltenham was again favoured to escape the infection. 
The" Examiner," speaking of the ravages of the disease, says — "Still our own 
town has escaped the contagion a fact which is singular, and almost marvellous, 
when we take into consideration our close proximity to the infected places, and 
the rapid and constant means of communication which exist between us. We 
recur to this subject, not as affording any excuse for vain boasting, but as one 
which cannot be too frequently impressed upon the public mind. Whether the 
immunity which we enjoy is owing, as some suppose, to our mineral waters, or, as 
others allege, to our excellent sanatary condition, the result is one which equally 
calk for cur thankfulnes and gratitude." The same paper of August 22, saya — 
"It will be seen that the cholera has made its appearance in the city of Bath, and 
that several fatal cases have occurred. We are most happy in being able to state 
that the health of Cheltenham continues good. The number of deaths from 
August 1st to the 21st, a period of twenty days, is, as copied from the official 
records, only twenty-seven, and of these twenty-seven no less than twelve were 
under one year of age. This exceedingly low rate of mortality, in a population. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 583 

of 40,000 persons, speaks volumes as to our sanatary condition." (The total 
number of deaths from cholera throughout the country, from Aug. 11 to 27, 
being 16 days, were 11,695.) 

1849. September 7. Rev. F. Close returned to Cheltenham from his usual 
Summer excursion. On his arrival, a deputation of his parishioners presented 
him with an address, ard the sura of £500 to clear off a debt, for which he had 
become personally liable, in reference to the completion of the Training College. 
In his sermon on the following Sunday, at the Parish Church, the rev. gentleman 
alluded to the exemption of the town from the ravages of the epidemic which was 
affecting nearly every other part of the kingdom. Some, he said, attributed the 
exemption of Cheltenham from the disease to its mineral waters ; that opinion 
might be correct; but if it was, it ought not to lessen our gratitude to that Divine 
Being, who had cast our lot in a place so peculiarly healthy and exempt from 
epidemic diseases. 

1849. September 9. The burials in Cheltenham for the past fourteen 
days numbered only 15, of which 5 were of, infants. In the following 
seven days, there were only 8 burials, 5 of which were of infants, under two years' 
old. 

1849. September 25* Observed as a day of National humiliation and prayer, 
The collections in the various churches and chapels amounted to nearly £600. 
At the Parish Church in the evening, it was intended to sing the Vesper Hymu, 
at the conclusion of the service, but on the organist attempting to perform the 
air, it was found that the heat was so intense that the organ could not be made 
to sound. Not only was every comer loithin the church crowded to suffocation 
but crowds were congregated around the doors and windows. The other churches 
and chapels were almost equally crowded. 

1849. September 29. The Queen and Royal .Family passed the Cheltenham 
station at Lausdown on their way f om Scotland. The school children, to the 
number of 5,000, were drawn up along the line, and tens of thousands ot people 
thronged the enbankments. The .Royal travellers acknowledged the plaudits of 
the multitude as the train swept by. 

1849. October 3. The copyright of the Cheltenham Chronicle offered for sale 
by auction. There was no bona fide bidding and the "lot" was bought in for 
£120. 

1849. October 17- The" Examiner,' ' of this date, notices that Mr. Pearson 
Thompson, for many years proprietor of the Montpellier and Lausdown estate, 
had during the past week, emigrated to Australia. 

1849. November. Mr. Cseasey publisnes his report, recommending the 
abolition of the then self-elected Board of Commissioners, in favour of a Board 
with enlarged powers, elected by the ratepayers. 

1849. November. The Registrar General's report of the mortality for the 
September quarters for the years 1845-6-7-8-9, show that out of every 10, J00 
inhabitants, there died— at Bristol, 390; at Clifton, 362 ; at Stroud, 235 ; and at 
Cheltenham, only 206. 

1849. November 15. Day of National thanksgiving on the disappearance of 
the cholera; the contributions of the Cheltenham congrega r ions towards 
various benevolent objects amounted to £600. 

1849. iSovember 17. Presentation of a handsome service of plate to Capt. 
Litchfield, R.A., for his services during nine years as lion, secretary of 
Cheltenham College. 

1849. December 24. On Christmas Eve, Lady Pynn was burned to death 
at her residence, Promenade. Deceased was suffering from an accident she 
sustained a few weeks ago, and while sitting by her drawing room fire, her musliu 
dress ignited, and she was so shocklingly burnt that death ensued in a few hours. 



584 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1850. January. The Town Commissioners publish a statement of 40 pages as a 
reply to certain statistics in Mr. Creasy's report. This "statement" gives the 
following as the comparative rate of mortality in Cheltenham and neighbouring 
towns. The following is an extract : — 

Deaths in 1845. Deaths in 1849. 

Cheltenham 1 in 53| ,..,.. 1 in 61 

Clifton I ia 4lf 1 in 20* 

Bristol 1 in 41f 1 in 18^* 

Stroud 1 in 51£ 1 in 48f 

* The large per centage of deaths in Clifton and Bristol in the latter year was 
caused by cholera, from which Cheltenham was exempt. 

1850. January 8. Mr. J. Francillon, County Court Judge, appointed chair- 
man over the second court for criminal business at Quarter Sessions. 

1850, January 22. Public meeting at the Town Hall, to hear statements 
from the Revs. Everett, Dunn, and Griffiths, the expelled Wesleyan preachers, 
whose c >ses caused much sympathy throughout the country among the friends of 
religious liberty. Resolutions of sympathy were moved and supported by Messrs. 
Moody Bell, John Lane, Humphris, Fry, Nicholls, Mark Lane, and James 
Russell, and adopted by the meeting, with only one dissentient. 

1850. February 7. Sudden death from disease of the heart, of R. C. Sher- 
wood, Ksq.. of 4, Suffolk Lawn, aged 70 years. 

1850. February 7. Fearlul storm in Cheltenham, during which one of the 
turrttts on the tower of Christ Church was blown down, and in many cases the 
windows in exposed situations were blown en masse into the drawing-rooms. A 
range of green-houses at Evans's (now Burgess) Nurseries, on the London-road, 
were blown down. 

1850. February. Health of Cheltenham. The official returns of the 
Registrar-General for the summer and winter quarters of 1849 furnish the fol- 
lowing important results. The number of deaths in Cheltenham out of every 
10,000 inhabitants is materially less than the number occurring in the whole 
county, or in any one of its rivals, the fashionable watering-places of the kingdom 
— proving incontestibly that the town is, as it has always been represented to be, 
among the most healthy in the whole kingdom. During the half-year endiug 
December 31 1849, the number of deaths out of every 10,000 inhabitants have 
been as under: — 

In Cheltenham . . to every 10,000 persons ... 94 deaths. 

In Brighton . . . to every 10,000 persons . . . 180 deaths. 

In Clilton .... to every 10,000 persons . . . 199^ deaths. 

In Bath to every 10,001 persons . . . 119^ deaths. 

In Scarborough . . to every 10,000 persons . . . 124f deaths. 

In Gloucester ... to every 10,000 persons . . . 128 deaths. 

In Bristol .... to every I0,0u0 persons . . . 215 deaths. 

Comparing Cheltenham with the average mortality in the whole county of Glou- 
cester, the result is equally favourable — Cheltenham being only 94 in 10,000, 
while Gloucestershire is 132^ in 10,000. Devonshire, again, which is a favourite 
resort with tourists, lo*t 143 persons out of every 10,000 during the past half- 
year, while Cheltenham lost only 94. With regard to epidemic diseases, the most 
eminent medical men, of 30 and 40 years' standing, have certified to the Board 
of Health that fatal epidemics are extremely rare in Cheltenham, and that typhus 
fever, that fatal scourge of other towns, is almost unknown. — "Examiner," 
Feb . 13. [The same paper contained letters from Dr. Gibney, Mr fc Charles 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 585 

fowler, Mr. T. J. Cottle, .Mr. C. J. Hawkins, and Mr. D. Hartley, all bearing 
testimony to the freedein of the town from diseases of an epidemic nature ] 

1850. February, Road from Bath Road to the new Hospital improved and 
widened, the funds being raised by private subscription. 

1850. February 22. Sudden death of Mr. John Smith Reviere, one of the 
oldest and most respected tradesmen of the town. 

1850. February. No^otiations for an amicable settlement of the dispute as 
to Local Government. Messrs. G. E. Williams, G. A. Williams, J. A. Gardner, 
and William Ridler proceeded to London, and h id an interview with Lord 
Carlisle with a view to the introduction of the Public Health Act, wtth certain 
modifications required by the peculiar conditions of Cheltenham 

1850. March 14. Public meein? in favour of the pioposnd In f ernational 
Exhibition of 1851, Lord Fitzhardinge in he c ;air. The Rev. F. Close, Mr. 
Grenville Berkeley, and others, addressed tie meeting, and at its conclusion a 
subscription list was opened, Lord Fitzhardinge putting down his name for a 
donation of £50. 

1850. April 10, A batch of emigrants, 240 in number, seut out by the 
Board of Guardians, left Cheltenham for Gloucester, where they to k ship, per 
" Corsair," for their de^nation. [In connection u ith the schemes of emigration, 
set on foot in this year, it should be mentioned that Mr. John Russell collected a 
large amount in subscriptions, to be devoted partly to assi>t iu paving the 
passage money of poor emigrants, and partly in proviuingthem with clothing and 
other comforts during the voyage. So succes-ful uas Air. Russell's appeal, that 
a number of his fellow townsmen enteitdined him to a Mtpper, at the Rose and 
Crown Inn, — Mr. Caldicott, chairman, and Mr Howlett, vice-chairman, — and iu 
the course of the evening he was presanted with a hand ome gold vatch and 
chain, and a silver tankard, bearing the following in>cripnou — " Presented to 
Mr. John Russell, with a valuable gold watch and chain, by his friends, as a 
mark of their esteem for his exertions in the ca^e of charity, many families 
having been enabled to emigrate, and others rendered prosperous, by li is 
gratuitous services in their behalf. — Cheltenham, June oth, 1351."] 

1850. May 17. Mr. Augustus Newton " disbarred" for unprofessional 
pracitces. The following is a copy of the official notice posted in the Mall of the 
Temple : — li Middle Temple — At a special Parliament, held by adjournment on 
the 17th of May, 1850 — Resolved, That the call ot Augustus Newton be vacated, 
and that he be disbarred and expelled from the Socie y." 

1850, June. Great Prestbury Footpath Case. A footpath over Prestbury 
Park having been closed by the owner of the property, a procession, headed by 
the High Bailiff, the Parish Churchwarden, and attended b\ .Mr. Boo.ile, solicitor, 
proceeded vi et armis to remove the obstruction. The affair is thus descrioed in 
a "legend 5 ' which appeared in the curreut number of the " Cheltenham 
Examiner" : — "A Legend of Prestbury Park. — The Battle of the Footpath ! 

" 'lis not for love of worthless spoil, 
In freedom's cause we fight; 
We battle for our native soil, 

' May God defend the right \"—Old Song. 

"Englishmen are proverbially jealous of their rights. You may coax, and 
wheedle, and " blarney" John Bull to give the eye-teeth out of his head, if yon 
choose to set about it ; but once begin to bluster and bully him. or to interfere 
with his liberties, or to stand at the door ot his domicile and say,' You don't 
lodge here, John !" and you raise nis dander in a moment. At the least infringe- 
ment of his privileges he is the most pugnacious fellow in existence ; for a. though 
he u right" you may happen to interfere with may be the most insignificant 



586 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

thing in the world, yet he upholds it for the sake of the principle involved in it, 
and the moment you attempt to call it in question, he is ready to do battle for it 
to the death, for " his soul's in arms and eager for the fray." It was not the 
amount of the ship-money, but the right of the King to levy it, that called forth 
a Hampden from his privacy, and raised him to the rank of one of the worthies 
of English history ; it was not the amount of the tea tax, but the principle of it, 
that fired the good people of Boston with the spirit of resistance, and led to the 
formation of one of the greatest empires of the world. Therefore we say truly 
that an Englishman is proverbially jealous of his rights. It is good to see that 
this old-fashioned English feeling is not extinct amongst us, even in these 
degenerate days. Chivalry did not go out with hair-powder and knee buckles, 
nor cowardice come in with reform in parliament and free trade. If we are not 
mistaken, men in black coats and trowsers and Wellington boots are as careful of 
their rights — aye, and as willing to defend them, too — as their forefathers were 
who wore the antique toggery of the Cromwells and the Stuarts. For instance, 
we witnessed the other day a sight which carried us back in imagination to the 
glorious days of Hampden and ship-money, and invested the banks of the gentle 
Chelt and the adjacent hill of Marie with the memories and enchantment of 
classic ground. We saw a procession of " grave and potent seignours" — a 
Russell, bearing on his ample shoulders the chief authority in his bailiwick — a 
Hasell, wearing round his neck the white insignia of the holy mother Church — a 
Boodle, learned in the law, and other notable burgesses aud citizens, proceeding 
forth to do battle to a common enemy. We saw that the procession was headed 
by two sturdy yeomen, bearing each an axe upon his shoulder; we saw them 
approach a spot where the sons and daughters of Cheltenham had possessed the 
right of passing and re-passing from time immemorial; we saw that some 
encroacher on this right had raised a stout barrier, and dug a deep trench across 
the time-honoured footpath; we heard a formal demand made upon the said 
usurper, that he should remove all " let and hindrance" from the path of the 
besiegers, or otherwise they would, by mainprize and force of arms, make good 
their passage against all opposition ; we saw that, no answer being made to this 
summons, the stout yeomen aforesaid did then and there proceed to break down 
the barricade, and fill up the trench ; and so, all obstruction being removed, the 
Russells and the Hasells, the Boodles, aud the other burgesses and citizens did 
pass freely over, and then as freely depart — having established their right — no 
man making them afraid. When they had all passed away, leaving the two sturdy 
yeomen behind them to guard the pass, we could not help moralizing on the scene 
we had witnessed, and we thought within ourselves what a noble feeling was this 
jealousy of the rights and privileges of the people ; we contrasted, too, the 
modern mode of asserting such rights with the method which was in vogue in 
by-gone days, and we came to the conclusion that it was a noble spectacle to see 
men asserting their rights by resolute, but legal and peaceable means, when the 
time had been that they muse have battled for them amid bloodshed and rebellion. 
We thought, too, how well the men whose acts we have been chronicling deserved 
the praises of their fellow-citizens; how insignificant it might appear to some, 
this "pother" about an obscure footpath, and yet how important it was to the 
many that these breathing-vessels of great cities should be preserved to the use 
and enjjymeut of the poor. To " pampered luxury," rolling along in its carriage, 
or the drowsy sluggard turnirg on his bed of down, the right to walk through 
Prestbury Tark maybe a matter of small concernment; but it is different with 
men who, like us, have a passion for the maiden blush of morniug, and who may 
be often seen at such seasons, and at this very spot, 

" Brushing, with hasty step, the dews away, 
To meet the sun upon the upland lawn." 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 587 

Well, as we thus moralized, we fouru! that " the battle of the footpath " was not 
yet over. We observed a hale and burly husbandman, with a posse of hinds at 
his heels, come forth from his hiding place to reconnoitre; Tin ling the besieging 
party withdrawn, they began to replace, with might and main, the prostrate 
barrier, and to dig anew the obnoxious ditch. Just as they had completed their 
task, and were wiping the sweat from their brows, the t*vo yeoman aforesaid, who 
had been lying perdue, again came to the rescue, and, with their axes and their 
spades, again completed the work of destruction. The passage baing again clear, 
they exclaimed, to the wondering indignation of the husbandman, "There now, 
my mon, we be paid for doing this ; and the ofteuer you puts it up, the oftener 
we shall chop it down, and the mow pay we shall get;" and then, night coming 
on, the belligerents for a time suspended their operations. On the following 
morning, we were somehow irresistibly attracted to the scene of action. It was 
the Sabbath, when men re^t from their labours ; but we observed that one ever- 
active acd busy " B M was already stirring, and at the place before us. We saw 
him perch himself upon the disputed style, so a*3 to make good the "right* 
against all comers. Anon the husbandman and his hinds again approached the 
spot. The sitter on the stile exclaimed, " I claim my right to occupy this spot, 
who dare lay a linger on me to remove me ?" The husbandman looked irresolute ; 
again he piled up his thorns, and bade his hinds to fill the ditch ; but he dared 
put neither thorn nor spade on the spot where the speaker sat, or to lay a finger 
upon his person, but at last turned muttering away. And I saw that the right 
was established, that the victory was won; and I heard an "early bird" piping 
forth, from the adjacent oak tree. 

" Well done, our worthy citizens, 

And Boodle, well done he ; 
And when he next chops down a fence, 

May I be there to see !" 

Thus ends the "Legend." Our tale has been chronicled with a spice of humour, 
but witha! in no spirit of slight or derision. It was a noble spectacle. It was a 
victory more worthy of being recorded than hundreds which have been landed in 
their day with a salvo of artillery. The actors in it performed a deed which was 
worthy of the age of chivalry; they deserve ior what they have done the thanks 
of all, more especially of the poor. They have established a right which is 
especially valuable to the poor — to those whose heritage is toil — to whom re- 
creation is a luxury, and whose only property in God's earth is the right to walk 
over it, and to feast their eyes upon its beauties. All honour, then, to the 
vanquishers of Farmer Thayer — to the destroyers of his thorny barriers — to the 
openers of the public footway over Prestbury Park ! — 

" Those village Hampdens, who, with dauntless breast, 

The little tyrants of their fields withstood ; 
While the vox populi roared out, ' I'm blest 
If that there sight don't do a Briton good.' " 
Cheltenham, June 10, 1850. Hampdeniensis. 

1850. June 12. Mr. C. H. Hale threw out a suggestion in the "Examiner" 
for the erecrion of public fountains in our principal thoroughfares. 

1850. June 20. Monster flower show at the Old Wells to inaugurate the 
management of Messrs. Rowe and Onley, by whom the property had been pur- 
chased, and who, after removing all the unsightly buildings which previously 
existed, had just completed the present noble music hall and pump room at a 
cost of £5,000 or £6,000. The gardens themselves had been entirely renovated 
and re-arranged; and, on their being thrown open for the present fete, they were 



588 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

thronged with the leading county families, the number of visitors being estimated 
at Le uly 5,000, 

1850. June. Cheltenham post-office closed on Sundays, in. accordance with a 
vote of the House of Commons on the Sabbath question. The non-delivery of 
letters caused such a general outcry that after a few weeks' trial the post-office 
was again open for one delivery a day. The annual attempts to interfere with 
the Sunday postal arrangements were from that time abandoned. 

1850. July. Strange recognition. Letters have been received from Mr. 
Pearson Thompson, formerly proprietor of the Montpellier Spa and estate, 
Cheltenham, anuouncing his safe arrival in Sydney, in the capacity of an 
emigrant. Of course at such a distance from his native place, Mr. Thompson 
little expected to meet with many reminiscences of the old country, and more 
especially of Cheltenham; judge, then, of his surprise when, on mounting a 
stage coach, shortly after his arrival, he was greeted with joyous tones of recog- 
nition by the driver, and on looking up he discovered in the Jehu the person of 
an old servant, who had been in his employ for many years in Cheltenham. The 
meeting of master and man, after so many years, at such a distance from England, 
and under circumstances so totally unexpected affords a curious incident in "the 
chapter of accidents " — "Examiner," July 10. 

1850. July. A man of property in the Workhouse. In the course of some 
discussion before the Cheltenham Guardians on Thursday, it came out that one of 
the inmates of the Workhouse is what is commonly termed " a man of property." 
The name of the man is George Witts, and it would appear that being possessed 
of certain c ' lauds, tenements, and hereditaments," he had been in the habit of 
leaving the house regularly every fortnight for the purpose of "receiving his 
rents 1 '! He alleged that his property was heavily mortgaged, and that he was 
willing to sell all his interest on it for the sum of £5, but admitted that he was 
in the habit of smuggling contraband articles iato the Workhouse, such as tea, 
sugar, and tobacco. He was told that if he would avoid a prosecution, he had 
better leave the house instanter, but lie replied that he should do nothing of the 
kind — he had a right to meat, drink, lodging and washing at the public expense, 
and he should maintain his right against all the Boards in the universe. The 
matter was referred to a committee. — "Examiner," July 24. 

1850. August. Election of Coroner. The candidates were Mr. Septimus 
Pruen, and Mr. Joseph Lovegrove. The numbers were — Pruen, 1661 ; Love- 
grove, 1555. Mr S. Pruen ultimately resigned the office in Mr. Lovegrove's favour. 

Ib50. August 7. The new music hail at the Old Wells formally inaugurated 
by a gr.<nd concert, at which Mr. Sims Resves, Herr Formes, Miss Catherine 
Hayes, and other "stars" of the first magnitude, appeared before a Cheltenham 
audience. 

1850. August 19. Turning of first sod for the foundation of Dr. Brown's 
new chapel in Winchcomb-street. The foundation stone was laid, September 25, 
by Mr. H. O. Wills, of Bristol. 

1850. September 9. First dramatic entertainment in the music hall, Old 
Wells. A prologue was written for the occasion by W. M. Tartt, Esq. 

1850. September 24. Sale of the Queen's Hotel, and other property, by Mr. 
George Robins. The highest bid was £14,000, and it was bought in at £18,000. 
It was stated that the ground on which the hotel stands cost £7,000, while the 
cost of the building itself was £40,000. The rental actually paid for it at one 
time was £2,100 per annum. 

1850. October. Mr. Lingwood published the first proposal for the purchase 
of the Clarence Hotel, so that the whole business of the administration of justice 
— police office, barracks, residence for chief constable, &c. — might be concen- 
trated at one spot. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 589 

1850. October 5. Death of the Rev. J. C. Eggirgtou, of Wellington Villa. 
Deceased met with an accident on the 21st September, when, in putting his horse 
at a fence in the neighbourhood of Andoversford, the animal caoght his foot in 
the top stones of the wall and rolled with his rider into the adjoining field. The 
injuries received were of so serious a nature as to cause his death as above 
stated. 

1850. October 2. Died at Woodford, near Berkeley, acred 93 yer.rs, Mr. 
James Ingram, proprietor of the Fox Inn, in that village. Mr. Ingram was the 
last survivor of the crew of the Royal George, which sunk at Spiihea I, on the 
19th August, 1782. His escape was almost miraculous. He was below at the 
time the vessel sunk, but was fortunate enough to get out at one of the port- 
holes. As he was swimming on shore one of the person-, who was on hoard at 
the time of the accident, and who, like himself, was struggling for life, caught 
hold of one of his feet and dragged him towards the bottom. In attempting to 
free himself from the deadly grasp one of Mr. Ingram's shoes came off, and he 
was by this means released from his perilous situation; the other shoe he 
retained as a relic to his dying day. Before reaching shore he saw a woman 
buffeting with the waves, and being an expert swimmer he brought her safely 
to land with him. Mr. Ingram had seen a great deal of service, having been at 
the siege of Gibralter, when it was attacked by the combined fleets of France and 
Spain, and also in many other actions. His sight and health were remarkably 
good up to within a very short time of his death. The writer of this saw him a 
very little while ago shaving himself before a looking glass in his tap-roon, 
without the aid of spectacles. Deceased was well known to the travellers by the 
old coach road from Gloucester to Bristol, as the coachmen used generally to pull 
np to allow their passengers to see the veteran whose life had been marked by so 
miraculous an incident. " Examiner." October 9. 

1850. October. The Great Western Railway having announced Sunday 
excursion trains along their lines, and to Cheltenham, a public meeing was 
convened by the clergy, at which addresses were delivered against the innovation. 

1850. October 22. Miss Fanny Kemble commenced a series of Shakespearian 
readings at the Assemblv Rooms. The Rev. F. Close in the same week gave a 
lecture on " The Tendencies of the Stage, Religious and Moral," in which he 
strongly objected to all dramatic representations. Miss Kemhie, however, was 
honoured by a brilliant audience, arnon^ whom the following names were enume- 
rated as having been present : — Lord Northwiek, Captain Rollout Mr. Quintin 
Dick, M.P., Sir George and Lady Pocock, Lady and Miss Vane, Mr. Fortescue, 
the Misses Eagar and party Hon. G. J. Irby and Miss Irby, Major-Gen. W ulfe 
and party, Mrs. Collett, the Misses Hlakeney, Mrs. R* croft Best and family, 
Colonal and Mrs. Stirling Glover, Mr. Hallewell and family, Mrs. Dolbell and 
perty, Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Price. Mr. Ansley Robinson, Dr. Acworth and party, 
the Rev. Mr. Rashdall and Mrs. Rashdall, Rev. John Edw rds and party, Mr. and 
Mrs. Waddingharn, Captain and Mrs. Wil»oughby, Mrs. Butler and party, Mrs. 
Mr. and Mrs. Graves and party, Mrs. Major Brown and party, Mrs. Duff and 
party, Mrs. Major Brown and party, Dr. and Mrs. Sherlock Willis and party, Mr. 
W. M. Tartt, Esq , &c. &c. " Examiner,'* October 23. 

1850. November 1. Meeting at the Assembly Rooms to protest against the 
late proceedings of Mr. Pruen's supporters in the election of coroner. Lord 
Redesdale in the chair. On the 11th, a counter meeting of Mr. Pruen's friends 
was held, Mr. Grenville Berkeley, M.P. in the chair. In reference to this 
controversy, Mr. Peter Vines, the Liberal Factotum, displayed at Mr. Pruen's 
meeting, a monster key of 10 pounds weight ! The " Examiner" of the following 
week, says that this must be the key of the consciences of the 200 v. ters who 
qualified for "21, Regent-street," and suggested that " should the newly-elected 



590 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

coroner hold his own, and the Regent-street freeholders maintain their votes, the 
key should be kept bright— «h right as their own consciences — andform in future a 
conspicuous object in all local processions. Should the Regent-street freeholders 
be disfranchised, the key might be converted into medals, which each might 
wear in future in token of his patriotic exertions." 

1850, November 11. Great meeting at the Town Hall, to protest against 
" Papal Aggression," and present a loyal address to her Majesty on the late 
appointment of Roman Catholic Bishops. Mr. Grenville Berkeley, Mr. Close, 
Mr. J. A. Gardner, Mr. Tartt, Rev. A. Boyd, the Rev. J. E.Bloomfield (Baptist), 
and Capt. Robertson, were among the speakers. 

185 J. November 21. An attempt to burn in effigy the Pope and Cardinals 
stopped by the police, acting under the orders of the magistrates. The effigies 
were exhibited in the shop of Mr. Hardwick, tailor, and several tons of coal and 
loads of fagots had been provided for the aula da fe. The excitement was so 
great, that in the course of the afternoon, a " notice " was issued, forbidding the 
exhibitiou, and signed by the following magistrates: Messrs. Pilkington, Gyde 
Hallewell, Harford, and Henney. Iu the evening, the crowd became greatly 
excited, and on a cry being raised "to the Catholic Chapel," that building was 
at once attacked, the iron railings in front of it torn up, and the building itself 
attempted to be set on fire. The mob, in their fury, broke open the premises of 
several Roman Catholic tradesmen, and took away their shutters and the books 
out of their shops to help to mike the bonfire. It was with great difficulty the 
police succeeded in quelling the disturbance, and on the following day several 
hundred special constables were sworn in, to assist the force in preventing a 
recurrence of the outrage. 

1850. December. The Cheltenham anti-papal address, with 4,000 signatures, 
presented to the Queen, h) Sir George Grey, who stated in a letter to Mr. 
Grenville Berkeley, that "her Majesty was pleased to receive the same very 
graciously " 

1850, December. The Cheltenham Effigy Burning and the Parisian 
Press. Saint Hardwick, of Cheltenham. A correspondent signing himself 
"Henry Cole," and dating "Paris, Nov. 30," gives us an amusing instance of 
the absurd errors fallen into by the Parisian journalists as to "the manners and 
customs ef the English." He says, "Your goings on in Cheltenham have 
furnished a copious theme for comment in the French papers, some of which 
show how error may undesignedly creep into a narrative of facts, and what little 
reliance there is to be placed in the accuracy of even contemporary history." 
Eor instance he says, " All the journals (in commenting upon the disturbances in 
Cheltenham) assume that Mr. Hardwick is a Catholic ; oue simply relates how 
the mob smashed the windows of *a Catholic tailor.' Another is scandalised 
that a Catholic cannot be allowed with impunity to have the effigy of his prime 
bishop in his shop; while the sympathy of the ' Constitutionnel' for Mr. 
Hardvvick is awakened to such an extent that it would not much surprise me if an 
order should be sent to him to apparel t e wltole literary staff of that journal. But 
no! soap, shaving, and good broad cloth are not compatible with genius in this 
latitude. I know but. little of papistical literature, but one cannot help seeing, 
here and there, prominently displayed in the shops,' accounts of the sufferings and 
persecutions of the Catholics in England,' and a rather formidable array of names 
of those Englishmen wiio have joined ' the noble array of martyrs.' I have not 
the slightest doubt but that after the lapse of a few years Mr. Hardwick is 
destined to have his name enshrined in the muster roll of martyrs and confessors, 
and perhaps his descendants may some day be amused to find, in tracing back their 
pedigree, that their progenitor was a Saint Hardwick." In reference to the riots 
of Nov. 5, our correspondent adds, " It is hardly worth while for me to make any 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 591 

serions remarks on the actual occurrences of that riotous day. Very good 
Protestantism was displayed, no doubt — but where was the Christainity p One 
thinks that the devil must have been hugely diverted. " Examiner," Dec. 4 

1851. January 21. In a letter to the "Examiner" of this date, Mr. James 
Boodle suggested that the two toll-gates then standing at Lansdown Castle should 
be removed beyond the entrance to Hatherly lane, ou the Gloucester-road. This, 
be said, would give to visitors an extra free drive of 10 or 12 miles rouud the 
most beautiful parts of the town. This suggestion was carried out a few months 
later; a clause being inserted in the New Turnpike Act for the removal of the 
pike to the spot indicated. 

3851. February 3. Conclusion of arbitration, before Mr. G. E. Williams, as 
to certain charges brought against the builder and contractor of the new Union 
Workhouse. The result was that the ratepayers were called upon to pay £234? 
14s, 2d. as costs of the award, and £1,166 7s. lid. the costs of the arbitration. 

1851. February 11. Died, at her residence, »1, Belle Vue Buildings, aged 78, 
Miss Jane Cooke, one of the most liberal contributors to our local charities. By 
her will she left the following legacies: — To the Operative Jewish Converts' 
Institution, £1,000 ; Episcopal Jews' Chapel Abrahamic Society, £2 000 ; 
Trinitarian Bible Society, £2,000; Church Missionary Society, £5,000 ; British 
and Foreign Bible Society, £5,000; Malta Protestant College, £1,000; Edin- 
burgh Bible Society, £1,000; Irish Society of London for the Distribut on of 
Bibles, Sic, £1,000. The remainder of her property she left towards the general 
purposes of the Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews. 

1851. March 5. Thomas Pilkington, Esq., unanimously elected to the Chair- 
manship of the Cheltenham Bench of Magistrates. 

1851. March. New south porch at the Parish Church completed. 

1851. March 4. Amusing emuete at Cheltenham College. The man who 
was privileged to sell pan-cakes to the students on Shrove Tuesday, not giving 
satisfaction in the quality of his edibles, a number of his customers invaded his 
stall and amused themselves for some time by pelting the vendor with his own 
pau-cakes. The affair \\ as at one time likely to be brought before the magistrates, 
but it was ultimately arranged " out of court." 

1351. March. The legal proceedings in the case of "The Queen v. Theyer," 
in reference to the Prestbury footpath case, amicably terminated on terms which 
secure for ever the right of the public over the footpaths in Prestbury Park. 

1851. April 22. Proceedings having been lately taken agaiust a number of 
Dissenters for non-payment of church-rates, at a vestry meeting, held this day, 
the Rev. F. Close expressed the great grief which these dissentions caused him, 
and a recommendation to the Churchwardens to endeavour to raise the amount 
required by voluntary contributions was cordially adopted. 

1851. The Cheltenham Improvement Bill in Committee of the House of 
Commons, Lord Chandos chairman. Alter several days hearing the opposition 
was narrowed to the single point of having the members of the Board, for the 
first year, nominated in the Bill, instead of being elected by the rate-payers. The 
promoters of the Bill ultimately g ive way upon this poiut, and their decision was 
confirmed by a public meeting of the inhabitants. 

1851. June. Application by the parties to a case in the Police Court, that 
the euquiry might be conducted with closed doors. The Magistrates, Messrs. 
Pilkington, Schonswar, and Skillicorne, refused to accede to the application, the 
Cheltenham Beuch having always conducted all enquiries brought before them in 
the face of the public. 

1851. June 20. At a vestry raeetiug this day, a final compromise was come 
to on the subject of Church-rates. The meeting was opened by the Rev. F. Close, 
who occupied the chair, and who declared, that seeing the necessity there was for 



592 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

a union between all denominations of Protestants, and seeing how much that 
urion was reiarded by (licentious on the subject of Church-rates, he had come 
forward of his own motion to propose a plan, whereby those dissentions might be 
put an end to. te would, therefore, propose to strike out of the Churchwardens 
estimate, and to raise by voluntary contribution, the whole of the expenses con- 
nected with th p performance of divine worship, and call upon the rate-payers to 
provide only for the necessary repairs to the fabric of the church, the repair and 
keeping in order of the c urch-yard, the repair of the public clock, and other 
expenses of the same public naure. He declared that he made this proposition 
solely for the sake of restoring peace and good feeling in the parish ; he pledged 
himself, if this offer was accepted, that the same should be done every year, and he 
said belonged heartily for the time wrun the legislature should put an end to 
Church-rates altogether. [Mr. Pruen, Mr. Dartnell, Mr Boodle, and Mr. Weaver, 
a member of the Society of Friends, expressed themselves .in high terms of ap- 
proval at Mr. Close's conduct. A rate of l-|d. in the pound was unanimously 
granted, and the proceedings terminated amid universal expressions of cordiality 
and good will On the following Sunday Mr. Close preached a conciliatory 
sermon on the subject at the parish Church, the text being "If it be possible, as 
much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."] 

1851. June 27. Died at Cheltenham, James Hastings, known in the neigh- 
bourhood as " Hunting Jim," and to the readers of Bell's Life as " The Flying 
Tailor," Maty years ago, on Lord Fitzhardinge commencing to hunt the 
Cheltenham Country, *• Jim" b< came enamoured of the sport, and thenceforward 
was a regular attache to his 1 rdship's establishment. He always went on foot, 
and invariably refused a u mount;" aud with stick in one hand and the other 
hand in hi* tiowser's pocket he would " top : ' the highest fence, and be in at the 
death after the hardest run. The " Kxaminer," in describing his career, says : — 
'•It was a common occurrence with him to walk from Cheltenham to Berkeley, 
— 25 miles — from thence to the meet to follow the hounds all day, be in at the 
death, and walk back to Cheltenham the same night ! Another of his feats was 
still n ore wonderful. The meet being at Broadway, "Jim" got ap early 
in the morning, walked from t heltenham to Broadway, 16 miles, thence 
to the cover side, 8 miies, ran with the hounds all day, and was in at the 
dea'h, at Fair-ford, 12 miles, back to Broadway, 20 miles, and thence to 
Cheltenham, 16 mill s ; nu' as though this was not sufficient, 'Jim' again joined a 
badger hunting party to Queen and West Wood, at least 12 miles more, making 
the distance accomplished, between sunrise and sunrise, 84 miles!" 

1851. July 17. The Town Bill thrown out by Lord Abin«er's Committee of 
the House of Lords, 'lhe Bib was considered as practically unopposed; but at 
the last moment the Board of Heath sent an intimation to the committee that the 
Bill authorised the purchase of the sewers for £12,500 (or £5000 more than the 
Board considered them worth), and the committee in the most peremptory 
manner threw out the bill without entering into any explanation. 

1851. August 12. At the assizes at Gloucester, the case " the Queen versus 
Pruen" was amicably settled, — the terms being that Mr. Pruen should resign the 
coronerslup in Mr. Love^rove's favour, Mr. Lovegrove binding himself not to 
take any legal proceedings agaiust the Begent-street voters, or any other parties 
mixed up in the proceedings 

185 ! . September 2. Fresh election for County Coroner at the Town Hall. Mr. 
Lovegrove was proposed by Lord Bedesdale, seconded by Major Kennedy, and 
there being no other canuidate proposed, the election was unanimous. 

1851. September 14. Parish Church opened for the first time after extensive 
alterations and completion of new gallery over the north porch. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 593 

1851. July 8. Extraordinary accident on the Great Western Railway. An 
excursion train from Cheltenham f o London was ascending the steep incline up 
the Stroud valley, and when in the mi Idle of the Salperton tunnel, the coupling 
irous give way, and a uumber of the carriages, freed from the first portion of the 
train, commenced running backwards down the incline. Fortunately, the mail 
train was ascending on the same line of rails, aud the driver (Wilkinson) seeing 
the runaway carriages coming towards him, at once, with great presence of mind, 
commenced backing his own engine, and slowing descending, allowed the carriages 
to cushion safely against his engine, and so saved the excursion passengers from 
imminent peril. The " Examiner" of the following we*-k suigested that some 
substantial acknowledgement should be made to Mr. Wilkinson, and the hint 
being taken, a subscription was entered into, and th-! proceeds, about £20, was 
invested in a handsome gjld watch, which was presented to him as a slight 
memento of the public appreciation of his coolness and intrepidity in a moment 
of ureat danger. 

1851. October 1. Hurricane in Cheltenham. On Wednesday, this neigh- 
bourhood was visited by a storm of wind, which, at one time, was more severe 
than any we have witnessed here for many years. The avenue at the Old Wells 
presented the appearance of a perfect wreck, the space between the rows of trees 
being almost blocked up with the fallen branches, while the pleasure grounds 
were completely strewn with smaller fragments. Duriug the same storm, one of 
the large boughs of -Maud's Elm was bio -\n down, a chimney at the Gas-works 
was blown through the roof of the building, and the lead at the Railway Station 
stripped off like so mich brown paper. The storm was, however, very partial, 
as is proved by the fact that while some of the trees in Jessop's gardens were 
completely stripped of their fruit, others which stood next to them escaped 
uninjured ; in one case, the whole of the fruit on one side of a tree was swept 
away, while that growing on the other side was untouched. This hurricane 
appears to have been a part of the same storm wh ch has strewn our sea board 
with wrecks, and caused the loss of a great many lives, " Examiner," Oct. 8. 

1861. October 2. Death of Dr. Baron, M.D., E.ll.S.,the intimate friend and 
biographer of Jenner, a^ed 66. 

1851. October. Resignation of Mr. J. S. Cox, clerk to the old commis- 
sioners, and election of Mr. Gwinnett to the office. On the 22nd, a public 
meeting decided, that in an application to parliament next session, the names of 
the first co nmissioners should be nominated in the bill 

185 L. October 23. Lecture on " Blooinerism," at the Assembly Rooms. 
The lecturer, a Mrs. Warrinor. announced her intention of appealing " to the 
wives, mothers, and daughters of England, in favour of Bloomensra, or modern 
dress reform." She appeared on the platform in full Bloomer costume, but so 
uupopular was the speciacle that it was received with jeers and titters, and the 
majority of the audience left the room. 

18ol. November 13. Sudden death of Mr. Thomas Haines, builder, &c, of 
Southam Villa. 

lo51. November 17. Carriage accident to Mrs. Erskine, of Forthampton. 
The carriage was overturned in the High Street, but the lady was unhurt. The 
accidentia worth recording, for the extraordinary career of the runaway horse, 
whose course, with the shafts dangling behind him, is thus describ-d . — " The 
horse contiuued to plunge until he had broken the carriage in pieces, and he then 
darted off along Clarence-street with the shafts and fore wheels dangling behind 
him. On arriving at the end of Clarence-street, he turned into the Promenade, 
where he charged at full gallop the handsome plate glass front of Debenham and 
Freebody, one of the large panes of which was shivered into a thousand frag- 
ments. He then crossed the Promenade on to the pavement on the opposite side, 



594 HISTOK* OF CHELTENHAM 

along which he proceeded as far as Imperial-square, and passing along the 
bottom of the square and down Rodney-terrace, he again reached the High- 
street, down which he went at the same fearful pace. On arriving at the 
corner of Clarence- street where he originally started from, he took the narrow 
passage leading to the Eight Bells ; then along the lane by the churchyard wall, 
and through the arch way by- the "Examiner" Office, again emerging into 
Imperial-circus. Here he made a second dash at the shop of Messrs. Debenham, 
but being headed, turned to the right down the Colonnade and again into the 
High-street. This time he took the turn up the street, towards the Plough 
Hotel, still showing the same partiality to the pavement, along which he gal. 
loped, passing under the portico of the George Hotel, and under the window 
blinds of several of the shops, until he reached the more open part of the street, 
near the Belle Vue Hotel, where he was captured, without having received any 
serious injury." 

1851. December 9. Enquiry at the Plough Hotel into the state of mind of 
J. G. Beavan, Esq., one of the magistrates for this district. The jury (of which 
Mr. Tartt was foreman), decided, after a patient investigation, that the unfor- 
tunate gentleman had be^nof unsound mind since the 1st day of June, 1851. 

1851. Dec. 24. The Cheltenham '* Examiner" was enlarged to-day to the 
size of the London Times; the first eight-paged paper which appeared in Chelt- 
enham. 

1851. In the course of this year, the Poor Law Commissioners abolished the 
ancient tythings, and divided the town into Wards vihich have since been adopted 

for parochial and municipal purposes. The Wards, which are five in number, are 
bounded as follows : East Ward, — North side of High-street, from the London- 
road to Pittville-street, along Pittville-street and the Evesham-road, and 
comprising all property to the Norih and North-East of these lines, including 
the whole of Pittville North Ward, — North-West sides of Pittville-street and 
Evesham-road, and North side of the High-street from Pittville-street to the 
boundaries of the parish in the Tewkesbury-road. West Ward,— South side of 
the High-street from Tewkesbury-road to St. George' s-place, West side of St. 
George's-place, St. George's-parade, up Bayshill to Queeu's-parade, thence to 
Old Well lane and Lansdown or new Gloucester-road, along the last named road 
and old Gloucester- road. Middle Ward, — South side of the High-street from St. 
George's-place to Rodney-terrace, along Rodney-terrace and Trafalgar lane to 
Montpellier Spa-buildings, along Montpellier- parade and Montpellier-terraee to 
Suffilk-parade, and thence along Great Norwood-street to the boundaries of the 
parish. South Ward, — South side of the High-street from Rodney-terrace to the 
boundaries of the parish in the London-road, and the district, South and East 
of the boundaries of the Middle Ward. 

1852. January 7. Mr. Lingwood published, in the "Examiner," a complete 
copy ot a Bill, proposed by him, for the appointment of a stipendiary magistrate 
for the Borough. 

1852. Annual treat to the scholars of the Cheltenham Old Charity School. 
A few years ago this school, with a very few scholars, was held in a miserable 
loft over the north porch of the Parish Church. Within the last few months the 
loft had been formed into a gallery for the accommodation of worshipers, and the 
school, removed to new and commodious buildings, had increased to 150 scholars. 

1852. January 9. Loss of the Amazon, West India steamer. She left 
Southampton with 161 souls on board, and when off the Scilly Islands was dis- 
covered to be on fire. Forty-six persons saved themselves in the boats, but the 
remaining 116 were either drowned or burned. Among the sufferers was Mr 
Rycroft Best, a gentleman long residing in Cheltenham and who was making a 
last visit to the West Indies to dispose of his property. He was accompanied by 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 595 

an old and faithful servant, named Chute, who shared his master's fate. Mrs. 
Best and her family, and poor Chute's wife and three children, were in Chelten- 
ham when the news of the catastrophe arrived, and their bereavement called forth 
an universal expression of sorrow and sympathy. 

1852. Jmuary 14. First appearance in the "Examiner" of the series of 
papers known as "Pulpit Sketches" by "The Church Goer," which, while they 
continued, obtained extraordinary popularity, 

1852. January 16. Dreadful accident to Master Findon, only son of Mr. 
Findon, of Prestbury. Deceased, who was only 15 years of age, was following 
the hounds, and on taking a fence his horse swerved and threw him on to some 
sharp stakes in the hedge, by which he received such serious injuries as to cause 
his death. 

1852. Janury 24. Meeting at Hale's Music-room to form a Cheltenham 
company of " Volunteers," in view of the aggressive policy of Louis Napoleon. 
Mr. Hallewell, M.P , took the chair. 

1852. January 29. Sir Cornwallis Ricketts, Bart., married to Lady Caroline 
Augusta Pelham, sister of the Duke of Newcastle. 

1852. February. J. Webster, Esq., of Hatherley Court, C. J. Barnett, Esq., 
and Capt. Frobisher, appointed magistrates by ihe Lord Chancellor. 

1852. February. E. R. Humphreys, Esq., appointed Head Master of the 
Grammar School by the patrons, the President and Fellows of Corpus Christi 
College. 

1852. February 17. Bill for the appointment of a Stipendiary Magistrate 
thrown out in the House of Commons. Its rejection was moved by Mr. Greuville 
Berkeley and seconded by Mr. Hallewell. 

1852. March. Cheltenham Town Bill passed through Committee of the 
Commons. A claim by Mr. G. Russell , Mr. Parsonage, Mr. W. L. Bain, and other 
officers of the old Commissioners, for compensation in losing their appointments, 
was negatived by the Committee. 

1852, April 23, Presentation to Earl Fitzhardinge at a public dinner, at the 
Plough Hotel, in recognition of his liberality in hunting the Cheltenham 
country. 

1852. May 1. Grammar School publicly re-opened under revised scheme 
sanctioned by the Court of Chancery. E. R. Humphreys, L.L.D., head master, 
H. M. Jeffery, M.A., second master. 

1852. May 12. Town Bill passed through Committee of the House of 
Lords. 

1852. May 12. The "Examiner" of this date states that " there is not a 
single able-bodied pauper, male or female, in the Cheltenham Workhouse, 
.although the Union comprises Cheltenham with its 40,000 inhabitants, and 13 
agricultural parishes. The master of the workhouse has for some time been 
obliged to employ labourers at the ordinary wages, to do the necessary work about 
the house and grounds, and which work, under the good old system of protection, 
was invariably done by the able-bodied paupers. The present inmates of the 
house are 93 old and iufirm men ; 105 old and infirm women, and 6 women with 
illegitimate children. The remainder being children, and adults suffering from 
accident or sickness." It appeared from the auditor's report, that the expenditure 
for the last half-year was less by £1,256 10s, 6d. than that for the corresponding 
half of the year preceding. 

1852. May 26. Died, at Bideford, in his 75th year, Dr. Boisragon, who 
practised as a physician in Cheltenham for 40 years. After retiring from the 
arduous duties of his profession he resided for some years in Paris, and was on 
terms of intimacy with King Louis Phillippe until the dethronement and flight 
of that monarch at the Revolution of 1848. 



596 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1852. June 3. First Monster Poultry Show at Royal Old Wells, projected 
by Jessop Brothers. 

1852. June 7. First Meeting of Town Commissioners under the powers of 
the New Improvement Act, which received the Royal Assent on May 28th 
previous. The second meeting was held June 14th, when Mr, G. E. Williams 
was elected clerk. 

1852. June 8. Congregational Church, Winchcorab Street, opened with 
sermons by the Rev. T. Raffles and Rev. J. Harris. There was a public dinner 
at one o'clock and a tea party at four, both at the Queen's Hotel. 

1852. June 17. At public auction, three acres and thre^-quarters of land 
on B>iyshill, at the back of Christ l hurch, sold for £840. 

1852. June 19. The Queen's Hotel sold at auction to Mr. W. S. Davis, the 
present proprietor, for £8,400. 

1852. "Our obituary this week contains the name of Mr. Benjamin Thomas, 
auctioneer, whose death occurred on Wednesday last, after a few days' illness. 
Mr. Thomas was a man universally respected, his conduct durinsr the many years 
that he carried on business in Cheltenham being marked by undeviuting integrity. 
The intelligence of his death caused a profound feeling of regret among all 
classes of his fellow-townsmen. It is remarkable how many persons occupying a 
somewhat prominent position in the town have been swept off by the hand of 
death within a very few days. The names of Mr. Robinson, tailor, Mr. 
Hasleton, builder, and Mr. Thackwell, have already been recorded in our obituary 
notices; and we have now the painful duty of recording the death of E. L. 
Mortimer, Esq., of Grosvenor Place, which took place on Saturday, and of Mr. 
William Harrison, tallow-chandler, which occurred on Monday last. Both were 
old inhabitants of Cheltenham, and both were highly respected in the sphere of 
liie in which they moved. — "Examiner," July 7. 

1852. July 6. "Our obituary this week announces the death of Mrs. 
Captain Grey, of No. 2, Montpellier Parage, at the advanced age of 78. The 
deceased lady was the widow of the late Capt. Grey, who as one of the most 
honest, and eloquent, and consistent of our local politicians of his day, has left 
a memory behind him, which will be long endeared to the recollection of the 
people of Cheltenham. — "Examiner," July 14. 

1852. July 13. Terrific thunder storm passed over Cheltenham. The cottage 
of a man named Taylor, at Rowanfield, was struck by the lightning, and became 
in a moment a heap of ruins. The escape of the inmates was almost miraculous; 
Taylor was sitting up in bed, and his wife was kneeling by the bedside praying. 
The man was struck down senseless, and the lightning passed between his wife's 
legs as she was kneeling, scorching the inside of both thighs, and severely 
burning one foot as far as the ancle. On recovering consciousness, Taylor found 
the cottage in ruins, Of five chilaren who were sleeping in a room over head one 
was burned quite black about the face and eyes, with blood running from the 
mouth and ears; two other children were insensible, and the whole were found 
partially buried under the fallen rubbish. On examining the premises the 
chimney was found knocked down, the slates scattered from the roof in every 
direction, the windows forced inwards into the rooms, the chains of the clock 
brokeu into numerous pieces and the fragments welded together by the intense 
heat, the flooring boards torn up and splintered, the grates broken to pieces, 
every pane of glass shattered, and in fact the cottage rendered a complete wreck. 
The injured children were removed to the Hospital, where they ultimately 
recovered, and a subscription was set on foot for reimbursing Taylor for the loss 
he had su tained. 

1852. August 30. The Queen again " passed by " Cheltenham on her 
journey from Osborne to Scotland. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 597 

1852. August. The following parties in Cheltenham received medals from 
the Council of the Great Exhibition: Mr. J. Blizird, T. Beale Browne, E-q., 
Mrs. Lawrence, Messrs. Martin, Baskett, and Mirtin, Bertram Mitford, Esq., Mr. 
T. J. Pike, Mr. Radford, Messrs. Shirer and Co., Mr. A. Whitcombe, Mr. P. 11. 
E. King, and Mr. S.Wright. 

1852. September. The Rev. F. Close, having made himself personally liable 
for the sum of £30, for repairs to the organ at the Parish Church; a meeting of 
Dissenters was held at the Old Wells Music Hall, to raise the amount by 
subscription, as a graceful acknowledgment of the rev. gentleman's conciliatory 
couduct in the abandonment of church rates. Dr. Moreton Brown accepted the 
office of treasurer to the subscription, and Messrs. S. Onley and T. Williams jun., 
were associated with him on the committee. The mouey was raised —the sub- 
scription list comprising the names of a considerable number of the leading 
Dissenters of the town. 

1852. September 14. Death of the Dnke of Wellington. The news of the sad 
event was received in Cheltenham with every demonstration of unfeigned sorrow. 
On the following Sunday, the ministers, both church and dissent, improved the 
occasion by special addresses to their several congregations. 

1852. October 2. Eirst visit of the Gloucestershire Yeomanry Hussars on 
eight days' permanent duty. The corps, to the number of 4?5 ), were reviewed in 
Charlton Park, in the presence of an immense concourse of spectators. 

1852. October 13. Mr. Lingwood published a s igssestion in the" Examiner" 
that a fund should be raised in commemmoration of the Dnke of Wellington, and 
applied in the erection of a new Grammar School for Cheltenham. The necessity 
for such a building was shown by the fact that the school was quite full, and with 
fifty candidates awaiting admission. 

1852. October. The Rev. T. P. Boultbee, senior curate of the Parish Church, 
appointed to the office of Theological Tutor of Cneltenham College. 

1852. October 19. Public meeting at the Town Hall, to hear the details of a 
new line to London, since kuown as " Mr. Fowler's line." The line was to leave 
the Midland main line at Swindon, to have a through station at Oxford-parade or 
Hale's-road, and to have its London terminus at the South- Western Station at 
Waterloo- bridge. Resolutions were uuanimously passed in favour of the scheme, 
the feeling in Cheltenham, as expressed by one of tue speakers being, that it was 
" now or never." 

1852. October 27. Letter in the " Examiuer" from Mr. Close suggesting 
that the proposed " Wellington memorial" should take the form of scholarsnips 
open alike to the pupils of the College and Grammar School. 

1852. October. Resolution come to by the Turnpike Trust to remove the 
turnpike heretofore standing at Marie Hili to beyond the Swindon-lane on the 
Evesham-road. This resolution was afterwards carried into effect, thus gre.itly 
enlarging the extent of free rides open to our residents and visitors. It is curious 
to contrast the present freedom from turnpikes around the town with the state of 
things which existed within the last thirty or forty years, and within the memory 
of many old inhabitants. At that time, one turnpike " stopped the way" a' the 
upper end of the High Street, this side of Hale's Road ; another interposed its 
harrier at the bottom of the street, at the corner now occupied by Mr. Dobell's 
wine vaults; while a third was planted in the very centre of the town, at the end 
of New Street, opposite the present Great Western coal wharves. At that time, 
the bridge over the Chelt at Perry's Mill was not built, but foot passengers had to 
find their way across on a precarious plank, which was often washed away by the 
stream, while the wheel traffic had to pass tnrough the bed of the river itself. 

1852. October 28. At a preliminary meeting attended by the churchwardens, 
several magistrates, and a number of the principal inhabitants, Mr. Lingwood's 



598 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

scheme for a Wellington testimonial in the shape of a new Grammar School, was 
discussed and adopted. 

1852. .November 9. Four a.m. A shock of earthquake distinctly felt in 
Tarious parts of Cheltenham. 

1852. November 18. Public funeral of the Duke of Wellington. Business 
in Cheltenham was suspended throughout the day. The funeral sermon bv the 
Eev. F. Close was reprinted by subscription at the office of the " Examiner," 
and a copy, appropriately bound, presented to the Queen, who returned a gracious 
letter of acknowledgment. The Duchess Dowager of Beaufort, Sir W. Codring- 
ton, Bart ,Mrs. Close, and others subscribed for copies of the " Queen's Edition," 
bound in a similar style to that presented to her Majesty. On the day of the 
funt-ral the whole of the low lying lands in this part of the country were flooded. 
Traffic on the Great Western and Midlnnd railways was impeded for several hours, 
and at Gloucester boats were employed going about the streets supplying food, 
tea, soup, &c, to the poor creatures whose houses were flooded, the articles being 
conveyed to them through their bedroom windows 

1852. December 9. Public meeting at the Town Hall, to establish a Local 
School of Art and Design, addressed by the Right Hon. Lord Ward and others. 

1852. December 26. Severe storm, during which windows were blown 
in and chimneys blown down in every direction. In Suffolk Lawn one of the 
large ornamental trees was blown down, and another at Dr. Bernard's, Cambray. 
shared the same fate. A long range of stabling in the Royal Hotel yard was 
destroyed ; and in the Bath Road a poor woman was blown completely off her 
feet, and hurled with considerable violence into the middle of the road. 

1853. January. Mr. George Lewis, sculptor, appointed to the office of 
parish sexton. There were 18 or 20 candidates, but the Incumbent ascertaining 
the appointment vested in him, and not with the ratepayers, selected Mr. Lewis, 
after consultation with his churchwardens. 

1853. January 13. Mysterious robbery at Mr. Davisons's, jeweller, corner 
of Clarence-street. The thieves took 160 rings, several gold watches, and other 
property to the value of between £200 and £300. The perpetrators of the 
robbery escaped detection. 

1853. January 25. At a meeting of the Town Commissioners, it was stated 
that the costs in obtaining the Act of Parliament were £4,600 instead of £3,000. 
as originally stated. Of this sum, the solicitors' bills were about £1,500 ; par- 
liamentary agents, £1,000; two surveyors, £400 each; Mr. Gael's bill, £340; 
and the remainder in smaller miscellaneous sums. The accounts were referred to 
a committee of the commissioners for friendly adjustment. 

1853. February. A curious incident is recorded this month — the loss of a 
roll oi bank notes for £500 in the High-street, and their fortunate restora- 
tion by a labouring man, who picked them up. It will be seen that the roll of 
notes was found under somewhat peculiar circumstances ; the finder, a labouring 
man. seeing a dirty roll of paper lying on the ground, kicked it along with his 
foot as worthless, and afterwards, without any idea of its value, picked it up and 
put it into his pocket. He went to work and thought no more about it, until, at 
tea time, his father asking him for a piece of paper, he pulled the roll of dirty 
paper out of his pocket, and was in the act of tearing a piece of one of the 
notes, when his eye luckily caught the figure of £5. He then discovered the 
value of the roll of crumpled paper, and immediately took it to the crier ; and 
on proceeding to the Bank was rewarded with a £10 note for his honesty. 

1853. February 25. Died, Lieut.-General Sir William Sandys Whish, an 
Indian officer, Ions? resident in Cheltenham, and for many years a member of the 
Cheltenham Board of Commissioners. 

1853. February 21. Public meeting of the Cheltenham Copyholders, to- 



£ s. d. 


£ 


s. 


d. 


3 


... 


3 





2 16 10 


.. 


9 


8 


6 8 


... 








3 3 6 


... 1 


7 





4 6 


... 








15 


... 1 


•2 





3 3 6 


... 1 


7 





15 


... 1 


2 






CHKONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 599 

obtain an abolition of the modern fees charged by the Manorial officers. The 
chair was taken by Sir William Russell, Bart., M.P , Lord of the Manor of 
Charlton. In April, the case of Treherne and another versus Gardner and 
another, involving the complaints of the Chelteoh am Copyholders, was tried at 
Gloucester assizes. The trial resulted in a special case being drawn up for the 
decision of the court above. The decision was given in the Superior Court, in 
February, 1856, and we here append the sums sought to be charged by modern 
custom, and the sums decided as legal in accordance with ancient practice : — 

Sums which ought 
Sums attempted to be to have been 

charged. charged. 

Proclamation 

Court fees on surrender to the use of 

Will 

Excess of fees on first admission 

Court fees on second admission 

Homage and Crier 

Stamp and Parchment 

Court fees on fourth admission 
Stamp and Parchment 

£17 10 £7 19 8 

It will thus be seen that where the Manor officers made charges amounting to 
£17 Is. 0d., the Court decided that, according to old custom, they were only 
entitled to £7 19s. 8d. ; and of this £3 6s. were for stamps and parchments. 
This important trial has settled the question of local manorial fees once ana for 
ever. The Cheltenham " Examiner" of February 6, 1856, in publishing the 
short-hand writer's notes of the judgment, comments on the observations of 
Lord Chief Justice Campbell, who at the very outset of his judgment spoke of 
the fees of which the Copyholders complain, in the following terms of condem- 
nation : — " I would observe that we are by no means, by anything we are about 
to decide, to be supposed to sanction the practices which have prevailed in this 
Manor. I am sorry to saj that this seems to me to be an instance of manors 
being kept up for the purpose that traffic may be made in fees, which are very 
oppressive to the copyholders." Such was Lord Campbell's opinion of the 
proceedings prevailing in the Manor of Cheltenham — that those practices were 
kept up for the purpose of " trafficking in fees," — the very root and foundation 
of the grievance which the associated Copyholders allege against them. But 
farther on the learned Chief Justice is still more explicit ; he speaks of the 
payments demanded as being "illegal," as "exacted without just cause," as 
M rank," and " monstrously exorbitant." 

1853. April 5. Great early closing meeting at the Old Wells. Among the 
speakers were — the Revs. F. Close, A. M. Brown, Smith, Rawlinson,Bellairs, and 
Boultbee; and Dr. Wright, Messrs. Humphris, Monro, Scougtll, and G. E. 
Williams. 

1853. April 5. Grand steeple chases at Prestbury Park. So great was the 
influx of visitors that the "Examiner" of the following day, says: "So full is 
Cheltenham at the present moment, that the influx of our steeple-chase visitors 
has put us to some such inconveniences as we read of in Australia. Yesterday, 
he respected proprietor of " The Plough " might be seen wending his way down 
the Promenade almost beseeching the inhabitants to spare him "beds" for his 
accumulating arrivals. His own immense establishment being full, every bed he 



600 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

could procure in the neighbourhood being: ateo "engaged," and now the morning's 
post had brought hira " bespeaks" from fresh visitors, for whom he was unable to 
procure accommodation !" 

1853. April. Pablication at the " Examiner" Office of copy of the faculty, 
granted by the Bishop's Court, in 1794, and under which, pews in Cheltenham 
Parish Church are held as private property. 

1853. April. A series of twenty-three views of the attractions of Cheltenham 
presented to the Queen, of which her Majesty was graciously pleased to express 
her approval. 

1853. May 24*. Sale of Prestbury Park and other property by auction, the 
Prestbury Park estate fetched £19,600, the Hunting Butts Parm £5,850, and the 
sale altogether realised nearly £40,000. 

1853, June 2. Sale of materials of Old Clarence Hotel. This building stood 
on the spot now occupied by the Temporary Church, and was atone time the 
fashionable hotel of Cheltenham. The present police offices also formed one 
wing of the building. 

1853. June 2. The railway bill for a line from Cheltenham to Oxford 
(Fowler's line), thrown out in committee of the House of Commons. 

1853. July 1. "Garrotte" robbery in Cheltenham. A gentleman named 
Raymond, residing in Lyppiatt-terrace, was throttled under the trees near the 
house of Lord de Saumarez, and while in a sta'e of insensibility, his watch, purse, 
and umbrella were stolen from him. The umbrella was picked up next morning 
near the Imperial Gardens, but the watch and purse were not recovered. 

1853. July 10. Sunday excursion tram from London to Cheltenham, The 
Rev. P. Close, in his evening sermon, gave it as his opinion that if the day of 
judgment had come suddenly upon the Sabbath breakers who came down by the 
train, the responsibility would rest upon those who incuced them to commit the 
sin, — upon the railway directors, who bribed them to break God's commandments, 
by running these trains at lower fares on the Sabbath day. 

1853. July 12. Great flower show of all nations, at Pittville Spa. 

1853, July 18. Sudden death of Major Justinian Nutt, a well known and 
respected officer of this town, at his residence, 15, Lansdown Crescent. 

1853. August. A fellow named Julius Henry Gilegan, but who gave himself 
out as a " prophet," and was guilty of the most blasphemous and revolting 
conduct, caused great disturbance in the town. He was ultimately taken in 
hand by the police and committed to Gloucester for six months, in default of 
sureties for his good behaviour. 

1853. August 10. The "Examiner" inaugurates the remission of the 
advertisement and supplement duties, by publishing an unstamped supplement of 
twelve columns. 

1853. August 15. The commissioners at a special meeting, affix the 
common seal to a mortgage bond for the loan of £11,000, for the execution of 
their system of sewers. 

1853. August 15. Death of the Rev. P. W. Robertson, of Brighton, son of 
Capt. Robertson, R.A., of this town, and formerly curate of Christ Church, 
Cheltenham. Such was the respect in which deceased was held at Brighton, 
that his remaius were accorded a public funeral, and a large sura was raised for 
the erection of a monument to his memory. Lady Noel Byron headed the 
subscription list for tins object with the munificent donation of £300. It is a 
melancholy incident in connection with the deceased, that his death took place on 
the sixth anniversary of his first appearance as Incumbent in :he pulpit of 
Trinity Chapel, Brighton. ISot only was Mr. Robertson greatly endeared to the 
members of his own large congregation, but the earnestness and eloquence of hi' s 
ministry, his high personal character, and his scholastic and literary attainment 



CHK0N0L0G1CAL EVENTS. 601 

gave him a celebrity which extended far beyond the immediate sphere of his 
ministerial labours. In proof of this, we need only meutiou that a memoir of 
his lite and his published sermons have gone, since his death, through several 
editions, that his bust in marble has been placed in the Bodleian Library, and 
that a memorial wiudow has been erected by public subscription at Oxford, in the 
subscription lists to which are the names of five bishops, and men of eminence 
and every shade of theological views, both within and without the immediate pale 
of the Established Church. 

1853. August. The Marquis of Breadalbane, Lord Chamberlain to her 
Majesty's Household, on a visit to Cheltenham. The noble Marquis drunk the 
waters, and inscribed his name in the visitors' book at the Royal Old Wells. 

1853. August 29. Death of Sir Charles Napier, at the Oaklauds, near 
Portsmouth, aged 71. 

1853. September. Attempts made to stop up the footpath leading from 
Prestbury Park to Swindon, across the Hunting $utts farm. The attempt was 
successfully resisted. 

1853. October 16. On Sunday, the 14th, the Rev. E. Close preached in 
the parish church (first time since his return to Cheltenham) to crowded congre- 
gations. In the evening, especially, every part of the church was crowded by 
anxious listeners. The throng extended into the porch at each of the principal 
entrances, and many, who could not obtain even standing room, were obliged, at 
last, to go away disappointed. " Examiner," Oct. 19th. 

1853. November 5. Appointment of Mr. E. T. Griffiths to the clerkship of 
the Cheltenham Bench, vacant by the resignation of Mr. G. E. Williams, now 
clerk to the commissioners. The magistrates, in accepting Mr. Williams's 
resignation, unanimously passed the following resolution — "That the magistrates 
have received Mr. "Williams's resignation with much regret, and consider that 
their best thanks are due to him for the very able and efficient manner in which 
he has at ail times advised them." 

1853. November 14. Eatal accident to Mr. Croome, a gentleman of large 
property, residing at Painswick Lawn. Deceased was driving along Montpellier, 
when he was thrown out of his gig, and had his skull so badly fractured that he 
pied in a few hours. 

1853. November 17. Complimentary dinner to Mr. W. S. Davis on the 
re-opeuing of the Queen's Hotel ; the Hon. Craven Berkeley, M. P., in the chair. 

1853. December 6. Action in the County Court, by Mr. George Mickle- 
wright, against Dr. Humphreys, headmaster of the Grammar School, for assault, 
in severely flogging plaintiff s son, a pupil in the school. The case created great 
excitement, and after a hearing of eight hours' duration, the court gave judgment 
for the plaintiff, with damages, four guineas. An address of confluence was 
presented to Dr. Humphris on the occasion, signed by the minister and church- 
wardens, (ex-officio visitors), Messrs. Lingwood, Eugall, Hale, D. J. Humphris, 
Wells, Harper, and Goding (members of the Grammar School Commitue), and, 
Dearly 30U heads of lamilies, most of whom had children in the school. The 
Patrons of the school, the President and Eellows of Corpus Chnsli College also 
published a document, exonerating the head master from blame in the trans- 
action. 

1854. Mr. Ballinger, keeper to Lord North wick, though in the 75th year of 
his age, reported during the season to have shot through the head 78 deer at 
79 shots. 

1854. January 12. East Gloucestershire Election. Beach, 3,364; Holland 
2,343. In the Cheltenham district the numbers were— Beach, 93 ; Holland, 498. 

1854. Eebruary 3. Sudden death of R. Leycester, Esq., at the Batchelor'a 
Ball, Assembly Rooms. 



602 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

February 13. Lord John Russell brought in a new Reform Bill, giving the 
Western Division and Bristol each three members ; Gloucester, Stroud, and the 
Eastern Division, two each; and Cheltenham, Cirencester, and Tewkesbury, one 
member each. The bill was withdrawn in March following. 

1854. April 5. Cheltenham Water Works Bill, for taking water from the 
river Colne, after six days 7 enquiry, was thrown ont in committee of the Honse of 
Commons. 

1854 April 10. Admiral Lowe died suddenly at his residence, 15, Lans- 
down Parade. On the same day, Mr. Charles Paul, architect, died, after a very 
brief illness, at his residence, "The Parsonage," Charlton Kings. 

1854. April 27. Day of national humiliation for the disasters in the Russian 
war. Sermons were preached in all the churches and chapels, at which collections 
were made for the wives and families of our soldiers and sailors, yielding a total 
of £830 13s. 3d, 

1854?. April. Lieutenant F. A. Close, whose intrepid conduct at Bomarsund 
gained him honourable mention in the Admiral's despatches, promoted to the 
rank of Commander for his services on that occasion, 

3854. June 1. The Cheltenham Great Exhibition opened, at the Royal Old 
Wells. The inaugural address was delivered by the Rev. Canon Boyd. The 
contents of the Exhibition was of a most varied character, and for a non-manu* 
facluring town, was perhaps the best provincial collection formed. It was 
visited by 40,000 persons, besides ticket holders for the season, which made the 
entire number 65,000, and about 4 ; 500 school children. It continued open until 
July 12th, following. The building included 22,000 feet of glazed sash lights, 
33,000 feet of spruce batten, 8,000 feet of rafters, and 12,000 feet of iooring. 
The interior was in part covered with 500 yards o' - green baize, 3,000 yards of 
calico, and 2, COO yards of calico. The shareholders' subscription amounted to 
£980, the season tickets to £782 14s. 3d., and the amount taken at the doors 
from straugers, £1,718 3s. 7d., which, added to £50 received for a refreshment 
saloon, made the total sum of £3,537 17s. lOd. 

1854. August. Town Commissioners voted to borrow £1,800 for making a 
new street from the High Street into the Bath Road. 

1854. August. First pillar letter boxes erected at Cheltenham. 

1854. September. Appearance of cholera at Gloucester. Cheltenham was 
favoured again to escape — not a single case occurring in the town during the 
visitation. 

1854. September 8. Afire occurred at Gloucester Cathedral. It was for- 
tunately discovered, and extinguished without serious damage. 

1854. September 28. Great fire at Shackleford's coach factory. Among the 
property destroyed were the tools of the workmen, valued at £150. A public 
subscription was raised to reimburse the men ; the collection by Mr. Russell 
amounting to £125. Mr. Russell had also collected a handsome sura in aid of 
the workmen of Mr. John Alder, who also lost their tools in a similar manner. 
For his services on that occasion, Mr. Alder's workmen presented him with a 
handsome writing desk. 

1854. October 1. Day of national thanksgiving for the abundant harvest- 
special services at the churches and chapels. Duriug the services, the telegrams 
announced the battle of Alma, and reported fall of Sebastopol. The news was 
conveyed to the Rev, F. Close in the pulpit of the Parish Church, and by him 
communicated to the congregation as an additional cause for national thanks- 
giving. 

1854. October 2. Dr. Courtlaud Shaw and J. Fortnum, Esq., surgeon, two 
among the most eminent of our local practitioners, died within a lew hours of 
each other this day. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 603 

1854. October 5. Despatches received at the '* Examiner" office contradict- 
ing the reported fall of Sebastopol, and st-iting the British loss at the battle of 
the Alma to be 96 officers, 114 sergeants, 23 drummers, and 1,894 rank and file. 
The publication of this despatch (the news not being confirmed in the Times) 
created such a painful feeling throughout the town that it was obliged to be 
withdrawn. On the same evening the news was confirmed in an extraordinary 
supplement of the London Gazette. 

1854. October 11. Died, at Sudeley Castle, W. Dent, Esq., aged 70 years. 

1854. October 19. Lord Dunalley, of Dunalley Lodge, Cheltenham, died at 
his seat, Kelboy, co. Tipperary, aged 79. 

1854. October 23. Meeting at the Assembly llooms in aid of the Patriotic 
Fund for assisting the wives and families of the victims of the Russian war. 
Sir Wm. Russell, Mr. J. A. Gardner, Rev. J. Browne, Rev. A. Boyd, Rev. F. D. 
Gilby, Admiral Lloyd, Capt. Close and others took part in the proceedings. The 
Cheltenham contributions to the fund amounted to nearly £2,600. 

1854. November 7. Consecration of St. Luke's Church, by the Bishop of 
the Diocese; the sermon by the Rev. F. Close. The cost of the building was 
about £5,000. Amongst the chief contributors were the Misses Greswolde, who 
munificently contributed £i00, Mrs. Beaucharap £300, Miss Yerbury £200, the 
College Proprietary £200, Lord Northwick £100, G. Harvey, Esq., £100, 
C. Morris, Esq., £100, S. Anderson, Esq , £50, Lord de Sauraarez £45. 

1854. November 18. J. Garland Cregoe, Esq., died suddenly at his residence, 
1, Pittville Villas, aged 44. 

1854. November 22. Death of Sir Michael Hicks Beach, the newly elected 
M.P. for the Eastern Division, aged 47. Mr. R. S. Holford was elected in his 
stead, December 19, without opposition. 

1854. November 22. The " Examiner" states that the fossil remains of a 
gigantic ox and the lower jawbone of a human being, with the teeth firmly fixed 
and showing but slight signs of decay, were found in a deposit of mud in the 
deepest part of the sewer works in the Bath Road. 

1854. December. The Entente Cordiale.— Lieutenant Lestraille and several 
members of his party of French pioneers paid a visit to Cheltenham. They 
were dressed in the handsome uniform of their corps, and were, during their 
short visit, ;t the observed of all observers." "Examiner," Dec. 20. 

1854. December. Boxes of books, provisions, &c, forwarded from Chelten- 
ham for the British soldiers in the Crimea. "My dear Mr. Close. I had the 
satisfaction to-day of seeing your fifteen cases safely embarked on board the Clyde 
steamer. She is to go straight to Balaclava with huts and supplies for the array 
and hospital. * * * Supplies are going out from all quarters, and, besides 
what are shipped daily from the dockyard, Mr. Davies told me he shipped, 
yesterday, 1,200 large packages, all sent to him from private sources. R. T, 
Garabier, Capt. R.JN ." 

1854. The Russian war. — The last six months of this year, and the whole of 
1855, were rendered memorable in Cheltenham in an especial manner by the 
events of the Russian war, which so peculiarly affected the great number of 
families of officers residing in the town. The battle of Alma was fought on the 
20ih of September. 1854, and the battle of Inkerman on the 5th ot November 
following; and at both these engagements, as well a3 in the fatal cavalry charge 
at Balaclava on the 25th ot October, a number of names well known in Chelten- 
ham were among the lists of killed and wounded. During the war " bulletins" of 
the daily telegraphic dispatches were regularly issued at the office of the 
" Examiner," and the scenes which frequently took place at the office of that 
paper were of the most painful description. After a great battle the open space 
in Imperial Circus would be crowded by wives and children and relatives of 



604 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

officers serving abroad, waiting for the bulletins of which some times as many as 
from 2,000 to 3,000 would be sold in the course of a few hours. From these fatal 
documents ladies would first hear of the death or mutilation of their husbands, 
children of their fathers', parents' of their sons', and others of their relatives or 
friends. The town during this eventful period wore almost an aspect ot general 
mourning. At the principal churches a large portion of the congregation were 
in mourning, and eloquent were the exhortations to resignation under sorrow 
addressed from the pulpits to the bereaved mourners. A writer in the 
"Examiner," of January 3rd, 1855, thus heralds in the new year of sorrow and 
bereavement: — 

The year goes out — adown long hallow'd aisles, 

The sculptors work — Ha ! what device is that? 

A marble fame-wreath clasps a shivered sabre ; 

Here a mute urn ; a severed pillar there, 

And on its base is " F. U. 1. T." — Yet once more 

I gaze, — it is a simple quiet scroll 

And only saith, " He fell at Inkee.ma.nn 

"And his young Brother took the pest at Varna. 

"She who writes this, she was a Mother once !" 

1855. January. Large number of huts for the French army in the Crimea, 
manufactured by Messrs. Eassie, of Gloucester. 

1855. January. Sand model of Sebastopol, by the pupils of the College, 
open during the whob of the month. It vvas inspected daily by large numbers 
of persons interested in the 'progress of the war. The "Examiner" says — 
"Capt. Robertson, R.A., has kindly undertaken the task of explaining the model 
and fortifications, and gives his hearers a brief epitome of the campaign from 
the laudiug of the expedition, through the battle of Alma, the flank march across 
the Belbec to Balaklava, and the opening and progress of the sie^e operations — 
the combined attack of the 17th October — the capture of the redoubts — the fatal 
Cavalry charge on the 26th— aud finally, the great, but dear-bought victory of 
Inkermann, on the 5th of November. Illustrated as his narrative is by a bird's- 
eye view of the theatre of operations, it becomes doubly interesting, and we do 
not wonder that so many avail themselves of the kindness of the college 
authorities, to attend his practical and instructive lectures." 

1855. Cheltenham men in the Crimea. The " Examiner" of January 17, 
says — " The terrible realities of the war have again been brought painfully under 
our notice during the past week in Cheltenham. Oue or two officers wounded 
at the battie of Alma, have sufficiently recovered to return home to their families 
here, and may be seen occasionally in the streets supported by crutches, or 
leaning on the arm of a relative. By the last official advices, we also learn the 
melancholy intelligence of the death of a very promising young officer, 
Major Moller, of the 50th Regiment. Major Moller, whose letters to his 
frieuds at home have continued — through all the hardships of the campaign — to 
be written in a cheering aud hopeful tone, was cut off in a sortie of the enemy on 
the night of the 20th ult. He died a soldier's death. Colonel Waddy, the 
commanding officer of the regiment, in a letter to his friends at home, says, 
'Poor Moller fell mortally wounded while gallantly cheering on his men,' iu the 
trenches before Sebastopol. This is, indeed, one of the painful incidents of war. 
The deceased Major was quite a young man, only in his 32 year, and at the time 
of leaving England with his regiment, left his young wife on the eve of her 
confinement, with their second child. We regret to learn that, in the same affair, 
another Cheltenham officer — Lieut. Byron of the 34th Regiment — is reported as 
' missing." Lieut. Byron is, we believe, a son of the Rev. Mr. Byron, of Elm- 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 605 

stone Hardwicke, and is spoken of as a very promising youug officer. " [In the 
same paper it is stated that the report of Lieut Byron's capture had been since 
ascertained to be true. A letter had been received, stating that on the ui^ht of 
December 20th, Lieut. Byron, Capt. Frampton, and Mr. Clarke were inside Sebas- 
topol, where they were treated with the greatest kindness and consideration by 
the Russians, and were going to be sent immediately into the interior to 
Kouisk, about 400 miles north of Sehastopol. The htters state that Lieut. 
Byron withstood the charge of the Russians until he had only four men left to 
support him ; when being himself disabled by a bayonet thrust through the right 
shoulder, he was obliged to surrender himself a prisoner to overpowering 
numbers.] 

1855. January. In the annual report of the Christ Church Charities for the 
past year, Mr. Boyd stated th.it the congregation of that Church contributed 
£634 to the Patriotic Fund, £189 to relieve the widows and families of soldiers, 
and nearly £1,200 for other benevolent objects — making a total for the year of 
£2,007 13s. lOid. 

1855. January. Colonel Shewell at Balaklava. The "Examiner" says — A 
troop-major in the 8th Hussars, in a letter to his father, gives the following 
graphic account of the part taken in the memorable charge at Balaklava by 
Colonel Shewell, brother of E. W. Shewell, E*q., of this town : — * c I am glad to 
see our brave and gallant colonel (Shewell) has beeu promoted. He richly 
deserves it; and but for his coolness and bravery there would have been an end 
to the Light Brigade. Well, indeed, our noble men followed his example. No 
men could work better, and their line in advance through the Russian artillery, 
as well as through their cavalry, could not be surpassed on Hounslow Heath. 
After we had sabred and passed their artiilery at the end battery, the word was 
given, * The Russian cavalry are in our rear : make ready to charge !' Our 
brave colonel shouted out immediately, ■ Steady, my brave men P in a cool but 
determined voice, followed by * Right about, wheel.' We were all this time at a 
full gallop, and this movement brought the officers and front rank lacing the 
Russian cavalry ; and, when we were iu line, the brave fellow said, ' Follow me — 
charge P He led us on, and how he escaped is a miracle, for he was the first 
who came up to that tremendous mass of horsemen. We followed close, and 
went through them like the wind, making clear way for the others to follow; 
after which our handful of men bruke, and each, as best he could, cut his way to 
his original ground. I shall never forget that day as long as I live. Only a 
handful of that devoted band of soldiers returned. We prize our gallant colonel 
the more because, for several days previous, he had beeu laid up in his tent, and 
even on the morning of the engagement he was too unwell to attend parade ; but 
no sooner did he hear the cannons roar, than he cnlled his servant to enquire 
what was the cause, and, on being told, immediately ordered his horse to be 
saddled, but was obliged to be helped to mount it. He was no sooner seated 
than he put spurs to his noble beast, and came up at a gallop to take command 
of us: aud, as I said before, well indeed, did he perform his part." 

1855. February. Mrs. Edmunds, aunt to Robert Sole Lingwood, Esq., left the 
following sums, free of legacy duty, to local charities : — Cheltenham Hospital £150, 
Cheltenham Female Orphan Asylum £150, Cheltenham Infants' School, St. 
James's Square, £100, Cheltenham ISational School, Bath Road, £100; 
total, £500. 

1855. February 7. First annual meeting of the Cheltenham Ladies' College. 
The number of pupils was stated to be 113. 

1855. February 3. Mrs. Dormer, a lady well known in Cheltenham, died 
from injuries received from her dress comiug in contact with the drawing room 
fire at her residence, 11, Lansdown Place. 



606 



HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 



1855. February 14. Death of a veteran. Died, at this town, on the 14th 
instant, in the 74th year of his age, Samuel Harris, formerly a private in the 
66th, in which regiment he served Dearly 15 years, and was engaged in the fol- 
lowing battles —Oporto, Talavera, Albuera, Vittoria, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Pam« 
peluna, JNivelle, Nive, and Toulouse. He was also present in many other minor 
engagements, was wounded three times, and received a medal with seven clasps. 
This was the only recompense the poor fellow ever obtained from his '• grateful 
country," until within about two years of his death, when, his case being warmly 
taken up by Mr. Walter Jessop, of this town, and his services, and their neglect, 
commented upon in our own columns, the Government was prevailed upon to 
grant him a pension of ninepence per day, in consideration of his past services. 
This pittance was, of course, totally iuadequ^e to find the poor old warrior the 
common necessaries of life, and he was indebted to private benevolence for those 
little comforts rendered so necessary by his age and infirmities. — " Examiner." 

1855. March 2. Death of the Emperor Nicholas. A telegram received in 
Cheltenham, announcing the sudden death of the Emperor of Russia, caused 
immense excitement. The " bulletin" issued at the '• Examiner" office contained 
only half a dozen lines, giving the bare announcement of the fact, yet more than 
two thousand copies were sold in two hours. In reference to the eveut, the 
"Examiner" of March 7 states that allusion was made to it at most of the 
Cheltenham churches. The He v. A. Boyd, at Christ Church, said he regarded 
the event as a distinct answer to prayer " Only a fortnight ago the people had 
assembled in the house of God, and bowed themselves before Him in humble 
supplication. But none of us could have dreamt in what way our prayers wonld 
be answered. None of us could have imagined that, ere ten days had passed, 
the Angel of Death would come and lay his icy hand on the proud Nicholas, and 
lay him in the dust. Maybe, the very commencement of that man's illness would 
date from the very day when we knelt in prayer to God. It may be, on that day 
the decree went forth, commanding the Angel of Destruction to do his deadly 
work. In other words, God may have taken this way to make His people under- 
stand that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strung ; and that His 
arm is not short, or His ear heavy, but that he listens to, and answers, prayer 
the same now as he did eighteen hundred years ago." The same paper contained 
the following lines from a correspondent on this memorable event :— 

THE HAND- WRITING ON THE WALL. 



Hark ! from the far off Neva's banks, 

A solemn sound is heard ! 
And startled Europe's pulse beats quick 

At that eventful word. 

An iron frame lies shattered, 

An iron will o'erthrown. 
How short, alas ! the space between 

A coffin and a throne ! 



But yesterday that stubborn will 
Held millions in its thrall ! 

To-day the Angel's baud hath traced 
Upon the palace wall 

The short and fatal sentence — 
" Thy days are numbered. Thou, 

"Greater than Cesar yesterday, 
" Art less than nothing now !" 

1855. March 12. Stephen Curtis, while building a vault in the churchyard 
of Charlton Kings, was buried beneath the soil, and, when grot out, was found to 
be quite dead. 

1855. March. Approachiug marriage in high life. We hear that Lady 
Charlotte Guest, the widow of Sir John Guest, Bart., is about to be married to 
the Rev. Mr. Schreiber, who is a Eeliow and Kxamiuer of Trinity College, Cam- 
bridge. Lady Charlotte has ten children, and is 45 years of age, and Mr. 
Schreiber is under 30 years. Ivor Guest, now about 21 years old, succeeded to 
the baronetcy on the death of his father, in 1852. — " Examiner," March 14. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 607 

1855. March. The litigation under the will of Miss Jane Cooke, who left 
£50,000 Consols, for the endowment of churches in poor districts, amicably- 
settled. Under the terms of the arrangement, the churches of St. Paul, St. 
Peter, and St. Luke, in this town, will be entitled to the dividend of £2,000 
Consols, from this fund. — "Examiner," March 21. 

1855. March. Sir William Russell, Bart., of Charlton Park, being about to 
leave England for the Crimen, a subscription was set on foot for the purpose of 
presenting him with a testimonial. 

1855. March. Capt. Swinhurne Berkeley, eldest son of the Hon. Grantley 
Berkeley, and Captain in the South Gloucester Militia, having obtained the 
services of 100 volunteers from that regiment, applied to Lord Strafford for a 
commission in his father's old regiment, the Coldstream Guards, at present in the 
Crimea. 

1855. March 21. Day of national fast and humiliation. Collections made 
in the churches to the amount of £357 18s. 

1855. March 21. Lieut. -Colonel Commeline, a gentleman well known in 
Cheltenham, killed by a fall whilst following the hounds. 

1855. April. Capt. Sherwood, son of Mrs. Sherwood, Suffolk Lawn ; Capt. 
Bovle, son of A. Boyle, Esq., Clarence House ; and Capt. Thorburn, accept 
commissions in the Turkish Contingent, under the command of Major-Gen. 
Vyvian. 

1855. April 10. Opening services at Cambray Chapel at which the Rev. A. 
Eletcher and the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon officiated. The Rev. J. Smith, pastor of 
this chapel from its opening, died alter a long illness from paralysis, Decemoer 
15, 1862, aged 60. 

1855. April 11. The voluntary Easter offerings collected for the Incumbent, 
stated in the " Examiner" to amount to nearly £550. 

1855. April. During this month two veteran officers died in Cheltenham. 
The first, Admiral Lloyd, was the personification of a bluff old English sailor* 
He entered the navy in 1790, was at the Nile, the capture of Monte Video, and 
continued in active service until the peace of 1815. He had a naval medal with 
two clasps, was created a Knight of Hanover, and was in the enjoyment for some 
years of a good service pension of £150 a-year. He died April 29, almost 
suddenly. Laptain Clubley, R.N., died, April 16, in a manner equally sudden. 
He saw much service in the early part of the century, but retired on half pay 
in 1815. 

1855. Captain Crofton, R.E. This gallant and meritorious officer, who was 
a brother of Dr. Crofton, of Segrave Place in this town, has, we regret to hear, 
expired of his wounds received in the trenches before Sebastopol. Lord Uaglan 
in his despatch, allndes to the deceased officer as one " who had, in the protracted 
operations before Sebastopol, rendered most essential service." Private letters 
from the camp also speak of Captain Crofton's death with deep regret; his loss 
has been felt as a public calamity by the entire army. (" Examiner.") 

1855. Captain Gilby, 77th Regiment. — This gallant young officer, a son of 
the Rev. F. D. Gilby of this town, was wounded in the attack on the Russian 
"rifle pits," against which he led on one of the assaulting columns with great 
gallantry. This capture of the rifle pits in which Captain Gilby took so con- 
spicuous a part, and in which so many officers, and among them the gallant " Boy 
Captain," young Lempriere, unfortunately lost their lives, is spoken of as one of 
the most daring and successful episodes of the whole campaign. ("Examiner.") 

1855. Dr. Thomas Wright, F.R.S.E. — We hear, with great pleasure, that 
Dr. Wright, of this towu, has, on the motion of Sir William Jardine, been elected 
a Eello<v of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a distinction very charily 
bestow n, but we do not know whether this illustrious society has really more 



608 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

honoured itself or its new member. No man living is more deserving of such a 
Fellowship. In his own department of study, Dr. Wright has scarcely any 
superiors and very few compeers. ("Examiner.") 

18)5. June. British Officers in the hands of the Russians. — Letters have 
been received during the past week from Lieutenant Byron, of this town, dated 
"Riazan, May 11th ," which speak cheerfully of the situation and treatment of 
the English prisoners, in the hands of the Russians. Lieutenant Byron mentions 
the names of the following officers : — Duff, of the 23rd ; Erampton, of the 30th : 
Clowes, 8th Hussars ; and Chadwick, 17th Hussars, as being with him at Riazan, 
and states that they are all well and looking forward to a speedy exchange, and a 
return once more to dear old England. tm Examiner." 

1855. June. A gift for a Duchess. The Duchess of Beaufort being in 
Cheltenham with the Duke, in the true spirit of a soldiei's wife accompanied her 
husband, at the head of his regiment, to and from divine service at St. Paul's 
Church. Miss Hurlstone, of Maude's Elm Nursery, presented her Grace with a 
splendid bouquet on the occasion, a gift which the Duchess accepted with -evident 
pleasure. I 

1855. Storming of the "Quarries." Cheltenham officers killed. June 7th 
and 8: h the Allies made a simultaneous attack upon Sebastopol, the French 
attacking the " Mamelon," and the English the "Quarries." In this bloody 
encount°r eleven English officers were killed, among whom were the following 
well known in Cheltenham : —Lieutenant Machell, 62nd Regiment, This pro- 
mising young officer, only about 20 years of age, was formerly a pupil at Chelten- 
ham College. H is uncle, an officer of Engineers, was killed in the trenches at the 
siege of St. iSebastion. His grandfather Col. Machell, lost an arm at the bat'' 
of White Plains in the American war. He had also an uucle wounded in uie 

18th Hussars at the Battle of Waterloo. Lieut. Stone, 55th. — This young 

officer was well known in Cheltenham, and was the son of a gentleman residing 
in the neighbourhood of Tewkesbury. He was also, we believe, a student of 

Cheltenham College. Lieutenant Carter, Royal Engineers. — This officer, who 

was killed on the 2nd of May, was also a pupil of Cheltenham College. He was 
a son of Admiral Carter, and received honourable mention in Lord Raglan's 

despatches Lieut. E.C. Playne. This youns officer is reported as severely 

wounded. He is in the 2nd battalion of the Rifle Brigade, and was formerly a 
student of Cheltenham College. His parents reside at Minchinhampton, in this 
county, and he is, we believe, a grandson of J. E. Viuer, Esq., of Badgworth. 

1855. July 14. A terrific thunderstorm passed over Cheltenham. The fall 
of rain measured two inches in the course of twenty- four hours. A number of 
the streets and houses were flooded, aud the new sewer laid down by the Com- 
missioners *' blown up " near the Bath Road, committing much damage on private 
property as well as to the sewer itself. 

1855. July. Captain Kingscote, M.P.for the Western Division, promoted to 
be Lieut.-Colonel, and Capt. Gilby to be Major, for distinguished services in the 
Crimea. 

1855. July 23. Death of Major Gilby, of disease, in the Crimea. Deceased 
was son of the Rev. E. D. Gilby,for manyyeais Incumbent of St. James's Church, 
Cheltenham. 

1855. July 26. The great flood in Cheltenham. Continuous and heavy rains 
fell during the whole of Wednesday, the 25th, and Thursday, the 26th. The 
water actually hissed as it fell upon the pavement, and out-door traffic was 
entirely put a stop to. About 5 o'clock on Thursday afternoon, the houses along 
the line of the sewers were inundated by the water bubbling up through their 
lower floors, and towards 6 o'clock, the water of the Chelt, bursting the banks 
along its upper portion, and rushing through the town in a deluge, in a very feflr 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 609 

minutes the whole of the houses from the Bath Road to Alstone, and occupying 
a belt of some hundred yards in width, had their basements flooded from three to 
four feet in depth ! The first outburst of the water occurred in Charlton 
Kings, where a culvert at the upper mill blew up and a piece of made hind, of 
very nearly an acre in extent, and used as a sort of coal and faggot wharf, was 
swept bodily away ! From rhence the torrent spread through the 1 nr-lying lauds 
at Charlton, passed theSandford Mill, and rushing onward through the Sandford- 
fields swept over the made ground of Wood's Road in a cascade some three feet 
in depth, and immediately spread itself through the " Mitre Fields," carrying 
away fences, pig-sties, hay-ricks, aud garden produce in its onward progress! 
Prom the Mitre Fields the torrent rolled across the Bath ft-) id, Carabray, Ro Jney 
Terrace, and Regent Street to the Promenade, where it made a cleau breach 
through some of the principal houses, gushing down the front steps and up the 
area gratings in cascades which reached halfway across tbe spacious pavements, 
while over the roadway itself it rushed with the velocity of a mill rase, being all 
but impassable to carriages and vehicles, and carrying away several venturesome 
pedestrians who attempted to ford it From the Promenade, the tide, now more 
than a hundred yards in width, rolled past the Royal Crescent, Bays Hill Terrace, 
and St. George's Terrace, until it rejoined the uncovered portion of the river 
near Jessops' Gardens. Here the weight and impetus of the immense body of 
water became perfectly irresistible, and at a bend of the stream at the back of 
York Terrace it burst through the embankment, and rolled in wide spread deso- 
lation through the beautiful nursery grounds which lay stretched beyond. The 
wall between the gardens of Messrs. Jess jp, juns. and sen. was swept away, and a 
large number of fancy poultry, belonging to the former, were drowued, while the 
gardens of the. latter, one hour before a perfect picture of cultivated beauty, 
becaTie the bed of a raging torrent of mud and water. The greenhouses, with 
their costly plants, were swept away, the arches of rose trees, which had cost 
years of labour to bring to maturity, were destroyed, and the rich loam of the 
garden, to the extent of several hundred yards, was washed away before the 
advancing torrent. The water lay on one portion of Mr. Jessop's grounds 
upwards of seven feet in depth, and in the course of the evening a quantity of 
debris, consisting of bricks, gravel, and pieces of wood, was swept through the 
breach in the embankment into the gardens of the estimated weight of from 500 
to 600 tons ! From Jessop's Gardens the waters found an outlet through the 
arches of the Great Western Railway, and sweeping over the low lying lands 
beyond, continued their destructive course through AUtone, and there spread 
themselves over the face of the country for many miles. For betweeu three aud 
four hours this torrent of water continued to rush through the streets at the rate 
of six or seven miles aa hour, in a stream from one to two hundred yards wide, 
and in some places nearly five feet deep ; an I from these facts, those who did not 
witness the phenomena, can form some faint cone j ption of the sc^ne, of which 
we at home were compelled to be reluctant spectators. " Examiner," Aug. 1. 

1855. July. Col. Shewell. This gallant officer, whose name is so well 
known in Cheltenham, has taken the command of the second brigade of cavalry 
in the Crimea, during the absence of Lord George Paget, who is on his way to 
England for a short stay to recruit his health. * Examiner," Aug. 1. 

1855. August 16. The clipper of the tenor bell in St. Mary's Church fell 
out this evening, and considerably marred the music of the " merry peal." 

1855. August 25. The late Flood Subscriptions announced lor tue sufferers by 
this calamity of upwards of £4-00 — Loid Fitzhardinge giving £10; Lord North- 
wick, Mr. Grenville Berkeley, Mr. Pilkingtou, Mr. Lnmb, Mr. Skillicorne, Mr. 
Corbett, and Mr Schonswar, £5 each. The total damage done was estimated at 
£10,000, Mr. Jessop's loss alone beiug found to exceed £800, besides the loss of 



610 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. 

many rare plants on which no money value could be put, because they were such 
as no money could replace. In Mr. Jessop's garden one large stone, of a ton 
weight, was shifted bodily many yards by the force of the water. 

1855. August 28. Public meeting at Charlton Kings. A silver salver pre- 
sented to Sir William Russell, previous to his departure for the Crimea. 

1855. August. Subscription raised for purchasing the Old Workhouse, now 
the Parish Church National and Infant Schools, near the Great Western Station. 
The building was purchased in the name of Mr. Hasell, then Parish Church 
warder, for £520 ; of this £300 was paid by legacies previously available for the 
purpose, and of the remaining £250, £192 was collected by Mr. John Russell, 
and on Mr. Close's return this month, the building was handed over to him for 
the use of the schools, free from debt. 

1855. September 4. The coal wharves and brick yards on the Old Glouces- 
ter-road, six acres in extent, sold by auction by Mr. James Villar. The 
purchaser, Mr. John Williams; price £2,540. 

1855. September. Illness of the Rev. F. Close. The rev, gentleman was 
rowing on the lake of Geneva and blistered his hand : the wound became so 
serious that an operation under chloroform was considered necessary, and an 
attack of gout supervening in the injured arm, the patient's life was for some time 
in danger. 

1855. September. A Crimean memorial proposed to be erected in Cheltenham 
College. Of the twenty-six officers killed in the attack on the Redan, no less than 
five were old Collegians. 

1855. September. Lieut. C. W. Willis, of the 33rd Regiment, son of Dr. 
Sherlock Willis, ot the Manor House, Swindon, and a former pupil of Cheltenham 
College, wounded in the English attack on the Redan. 

1855. September 10, Sews arrived in Cheltenham of the final assault and 
capture of Sebastopol. Upwards of 3000 bulletins were sold at the " Examiner " 
Office; and so great was the rush that the crowd who were admitted at the front 
door had to be let out by the back. In the next number of the paper, the 
following lines appeared appropriate to the occasion : — 

"IO TEXUMPHE !" 

Aye, chime the bells— and bid each rocking steeple, 
Peal forth the tidings ;— chime it loyal bells ! 

Lo ! far beneath, they cluster— happy people, 
With lips of praising, and with heart that swells. 

O'er the proud forts our foeman stoutly cherish'd 

As from vast pyres, the murderous torrents blaze- 
Mines burst — and navies sunk— and myriads perish'd — 
'Tis ours !— great God be thank' d— that day of days ! 

See ! a glad Sultan leads a rare ovation, 

Where pale of late he told the desperate hours, 

Oh ! how he smiles to name our island nation 
Oh I how he lauds our deed of justice— ours ! 

See ! with keen hand, an eager Emperor tearing 

The seal' d despatch; enough! that thrilling glance, 

Enough ! oh hark ! — The vocal winds are bearing 
One grand Te Deum from triumphant France ! 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 611 

See ! a sweet laty hears the gallant story 

Where waves the heather round her quiet door ; 

Hears of that fierce assault— *th »se feats of glory 
The breach accomplish'd, and the struggle o,er ! 

Hears how her troops in life and death adore her ; 

In life and death enhance her rare renown ; 
Perchance she kneels; — perchance there fills before her 

A tear of joy — a jewel from the crown ! 

See a whole world, astonished, mute, confounded, 
(So passing quick the last great exploits came) 

A whole wide world (thus is our prowess bounded) 
Owns the just cause, and hails the deed of fame ! 

Cheltenham, Sept. 17, 1855. J. D. M. 

1855. September 20. Stormy meeting at the Town Hall on the Public 
Library Act The resolution for the introduction of the Act into Cheltenham 
lost on a 3 ; >ow of hands. 

1855. September 29. Meeting to commemorate the completion of the 
Roman Catholic Church ; Among the toasts were — " Our Protestant friends, and 
thanks for their donations." 

1855. September 30. The Incumbent of Christ Church on this day of 
National Thanksgiving, asserted from the pulpit that the capture of Sevastopol 
was an occasion of humiliation rather than thanksgiving, because on that day 
"the English soldiers had turned their backs upon their enemies in the day of 
battle." 

1855. November 7- Cheltenham " Examiner" first printed by steam. 

18)5. November 19. Death of Major J hn Harman Brown one of the 
oldest officers in the army, at his residence, Sal"pian-villas. He was burn in 
1763, joined the 52nd Foot as ensign in 1779, and retired in 1813, atter more 
than 40 years active service. Such was the vigour of the dec p ased General's 
constitution, that although upwards of 92 years of age, he has been in the habit, 
up to the last few months, of frequently travelling from Cheltenham to London 
and back the same day. 

1855. November 22. Visit of Lord John Russell to Cheltenham. His 
lordship was the guest of Dr. Humphreys, Head Master of the Grammar School, 
and was present while the pupils, 300 in number, were under examination. 

1855. November 25. llev. F. Close preached iu the Parish Church, the 
first time since his recent illness. 

1855. November 29. Sir Colin Camnbell, (now Lord Clyde), visited 
Cheltenham, and took up his qu trters at the Queen's. No public demonstration 
was made, as the gallant general was to start for the Crimea in three or four 
days. 

1855. December 3 5. Lieut. Battine, his brother, and two other officers of 
Chatham garrison, drowned by the upsetting of a boat on the river Medway. 
" The young Battines were intimately known in Cheltenham, where their late 
father, General Battine, resided, and where, indeed, their widowed mother, as 
well as many near and dear relatives still live. The painful bereavement to 
which Mrs Battine has thus been subjected, was most feelingly alluded to by the 
Rev. A. Boyd in the course of his sermon at Christ Church on the following 
Sunday morning." " Examiner." 

1856. January 16. Madame Jenny Lind Goldschmidt gave two concerts at 
the Assembly Rooms. After the performance, the fair singer handed to Mr. 
T. G. Palmer a donation of forty pounds for the Cheltenham Hospital. 



612 HISTOHY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1856. January 24. Captain Cousins, a gentleman residing at 28, Park Place,, 
committed suicide, by hanging himself from the ceiling of his study. 

1856. Captain Close, R.N., son of the Rev. F. Close, appointed to the steam 
gunboat Mohawk, for service in the Baltic. 

1856. A Crimean soldier, named Seymour, died of lock jaw in Cheltenham 
workhouse. He was wounded at the Alma, and public indignation was strongly- 
expressed at his being discharged on the beggarly pension of 6d. a day, and thus 
allowed to end his days in the workhouse. 

1856. February 10. Sudden death of Mrs. Skillicorne, mother of W. N. 
Skillicorne, Esq., in her 76th year. 

1856. Dr. Humphreys, head master of the Grammar School, presented with a 
copy of il Natural History of the Dee Side," bearing the inscription, — "This 
book, printed by command of the Queen, is presented to Cheltenham Grammar 
School, by H.R.H. Prince Albert." 

1856. February. Gas Company's mains carried to the Midland Station and 
to Marie Hill. 

1856. February 13. Mr. W P. Brookes, a resident practitioner, successfully 
applied a ligature round the exterior iliac artery of a patient suffering from 
aneurism, — a very delicate and rare operation. The man is now (1863) still well 
and active. 

1856. March 5. General Wright, whose venerable appearance was well 
known in Cheltenham, died at his residence, Wobum Hall, Grosvenor Street. 
He entered the army in 1796, saw much active service, and his death placed a 
battalion worth £1000 a-year, at the disposal of the War Office authorities. 

1856. March 19. Mr John Barnet, solicitor, and known many years as 
coroner of the Cheltenham district, died this day at his residence, Monmouth. 

1856. March 19. Death of Lord Boston, aged 79. He was succeeded by 
his son, the Hon. George Ives Irby, who married Miss Northey, a sister of 
Mrs. Agg Gardner of this town. 

1856. March 27. Transfer of the business of the Cheltenham and Gloucester- 
shire Bank, Clarence Street, to the County Bank, High Street. — April 3. Sudden 
death of Mr. Wm. Ridler, the manager. The " Examiner " of April 9 th, says ;— 
" We deeply regret to record the sudden death of this gentleman, which took 
place at the Bank Buildings, in Clarence Street, on Thursday last. Deceased, 
for some months past, appeared in a declining state of health, being subject to 
occasional fits of extreme nervous depression. Latterly he appeared to be more 
at ease. He was engaged at the bank up to the close of the business on Wed- 
nesday afternoon, but not feeling well he retired to rest at any early hour. He 
was visited by some members of his family about midnight, and was heard by one 
of the servants to cough as late as half-past six o'clock in the morning, but on 
being called about eight o'clock he was found to be quite dead." 

1856. April 19. Jonah Dyer, a lad, six years of age, in the band of the South 
Gloucestershire Militia, was specially noticed by the Queen at a review at 
Aldershott. Her Majesty was so pleased with him, that she presented him 
with money to purchase him a sword and belt, as a memento of her royal 
favour. 

1856. April 20. Parish Church re-opened after extensive repairs, during the 
progress of which the congregation occupied the Town Hall. 

1856. Captain Sir Wm. Russell appointed to perform the duties of deputy 
assistant adjutant general, or deputy assistant quartermaster general to the cavalry 
division in the Crimea, during the absence in England of Brevet Majors Connolly 
and Fellowes. 

1856. Imperial Hotel, Promenade, (now occupied as the Imperial Club) passed 
into the handi of Mr. W. S. Davis, proprietor of " The Queens." 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 613 

1856. May 1. Peace with Russia publicly proclaimed through the streets of 
Cheltenham by Mr. John Preston, town crier. 

1856. May 4. Under her Majesty's proclamation special services were held 
to-day in thanksgiving for the restoration of peace. 

1856. May 22. Montpellier Baths property put up to auction at the Plough 
Hotel. The highest bidding being £1,600 the property was declared " bought 
in " at the reserved price of £3,000. 

3 856. May 22. Messrs. Handy, Fletcher, and Beale Browne despatched 
consignments of their pure Cotswold breed of sheep for show at the Paris 
Exhibition. 

1856. June 1. The incumbent preached a sermon at the Parish Church on 
the conviction of William Palmer, for the murder at JEtugeley. The sermon was 
published at the "Examiner" office under the title of "The Murderer," and 
obtained a very large circulation. 

1856. June 3. Beautifully engrossed address, on vellum, signed by many 
hundreds of the principal residents, presented to Lord Northwick for his liberality 
in keeping open his choice collection of pictures for the free use of the public. 
Mr. J. A. Gardner, Lord of the Manor, headed the deputation appointed to wait 
upon his Lordship. 

1856. June 3. Peace demonstration in Cheltenham. Galas at the Old 
Wells and Montpellier. School children to the number of 2000 marched 
through the to an in honour of the event ; but the inhabitants generally showed 
considerable lukewarmness from disappointment at the easy terms granted by the 
allies to Russia. 

1856. June 5. Odd Fellows' fete at Old Wells, to Colonel (then Captain) 
Berkeley, M. P. 

1856. June 6. Death of Dr. James Henry Monk, Bishop of Gloucester and 
Bristol, aged 72. The venerable prelate left property to the amount of £150,000. 

1856. June 14<. A tremeudous hailstorm passed over Cheltenham. The 
hail lay for some hours in heaps on the ground, affording to the urchins the 
•■unusual pastime of a game of snow-balling in the middle of June. 

185d. June 25. Public meeting at the Town Hall for the assistance of the 
sufferers by the disastrous floods in France. The collections amounted to between 
£200 and £300. 

1856. July 9. The bed on which George III. slept when visiting Chelten- 
ham in the year 1788, was sold by Mr. James Villar at an auction at Fielding's 
Victoria Hotel. Winchcomb-stieet, on Wednesday. The purchaser was F. Findon, 
Esq., Prestbary. 

1856. July 23. A large bird continued perched upon the vane of the Parish 
Church from Saturday afternoon until Monday morniug, when Mr. Hollis gun- 
smith, brought a favourite rifle to the churchyard, and after about half-a-dozen 
^unsuccessful shots managed to bring down the strange visitor from its elevated 
perch. It proved to be a large pigeon. 

1856. July. Meeting of the Grand National Archery Society. 
1856. August 4?. vVheat rose at Mark Laue to-day 12s. to lis. per quarter. 
On the same day, growing crops iu the neighbourhood of Cheltenham were sold — 
wheat £15 per acre, barley £12, oats £6, peas £10, and grass crops, with 
grazing up to September 29th, £6 5s. per acre. 

1856. August 6. Meetings of the British Association for the Advancement 
of Science commenced at the Proprietary College. Among the many distin- 
guished visitors were — Professor Daubeuey, His Grace the Duke of Argyle, 
Lord Wrottesley, Sir H. Rawlinson, Lord Stanley, Sir J Kay Shuttlewortn, Sir 
Charles Hastings, Professor Owen, Dr. Brennejke, Prussia, Professor .Rogers, 
Boston, &c. The inaugural address was delivered by the President, Dr. Daubeuey, 



614 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

In order to perpetuate a remembrance of the visit, medals were struck in gold,, 
and presented to the Proprietary College and Grammar School. 

1856. August 6. Sir J. Ross, the celebrated Arctic navigator, arrived on a 
visit to Capt. St. Clair, of Staverton Court, durinsr the British Association, and 
is expected to read a paper on the " Deviation of the Compass." 

1866. August 13. Col. Lake, one of the heroes of Kars, arrived in Chelt- 
enham the other day, and took up his residence, with his family, at No. 17, Prom- 
enade. 

1856. August 13. Queen's Hotel. Upwards of one hundred visitors took 
up at this far famed and magnificent establishment during the past week. 

1856. August 15, " An official announcement." On Friday, John Preston, 
the town crier, delivered the following notice : " Notice is hereby given to the 
bakers and inhabitants of Cheltenham that the price of corn has decreased 
16s. per quarter within the last three weeks," 

1856. August 15. Imperial Club formed at Cheltenham. 
1856. August 15. New Savings' Bank building in Rodney Terrace opened 
for business. 

1850. September 1. Cheltenham postmen clothed to-day for the first time in 
the ''Queen's livery." 

1856. September 1. A " fluke" potato dug in the Elm Nursery Gardens 
weighing 32^ ounces. 

1856. September 24. Meeting in the Town Hall for carrying out the- 
Public Libraries Act. Mr. Onley, Capt. Robertson, Mr. Lingwood, and others 
opposed the introduction of the Act to Cheltenham, and the meeting decided 
against the motion by an overwhelming majority. 

1856. October 1. Death of Col Shewell, U.B., 8th Hussars, aged 47. He 
was one of the survivors of the gallant charge at Halaklava. 

1856. October. Nine red deer, the gift of Lord Fitzhardinge, kept for 
hunting purposes at the Cheltenham kennels, broke loose, and spread themselves, 
over the country. It was not until more than a week, and after several " good 
runs" that the whole of the deer were captured, and restored to their stables. 

1856. October 20. The Incumbent of Cheltenham received an authoritative 
announcement from Lord Palmerston of his appointment to the Deanery of 
Carlisle. 

1856. October 23. Imperial Club, Promenade, opened for the reception of 
members. 

1856. November 1. Public meeting at the Assembly Rooms for a testimonial* 
to the late Incumbent, on his leaving for the Deanery of Carlisle. Men of all 
parties in politics and all sects in religion united cordially in the movement. The 
amount of subsequent subscriptions to the testimonial was about £1,000, to 
which Earl Fitzhardinge contributed the handsome sum of £25. The parochial 
clergy presented a separate testimonial of a folio Bible, handsomely bound, and 
a massive carved oak reading desk. The masters of the College presented a 
handsome timepiece, and the pupils a silver timepiece ; while the masters and 
pupils of the Grammar School subscribed for, and presented the rev. gentleman 
wifh, a silver inkstand and appointments of the value of £20. All these testi- 
monials were presented to Mr. Close, at the Gnnge, on December 3. 

1856. November 9. Dr. Baring, the newly appointed Bishop of the Diocese,, 
preached in the Parish Church. In the evening, Mr. Close preached the last 
sermon of his 30 years' ministration to his congrega ion. 

1856. November 26. The Water Compauy, after long negotiations, con- 
sented to lay down separate "fire mains" along the whole of their system. 

1856. November 28. Completion of the new National Schools in St.. 
James's Square, on the site formerly occupied by the old Workhouse. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 615 

1856. November 28. John Collett, Esq., formerly M.P. for Athlone, and 
for many years a constant resident at Lake House, Cheltenham, destroyed himself 
by shooting himself through the head with a pistol. Mr. Collett entertaiied 
such an aversion to the game laws that he was in the habit of releasing game 
law offenders in all parts of the kingdom, by payment of the fines and expenses 

1856. December 3. John Whitwell, pupil of the Grammar School, and dux 
of the Classical Department, elected to the Townsend Scholarship. 

1856. December. The " Cheltenham Literary Annual" — the articles by 
resident authors — published at the " Examiner" office. 

1856. December 11. Sale of property and securities of the late Cheltenham 
and Gloucestershire Bank, by Mr. James Villar. 

1856. December 17. Only eight burials this week for the entire parish of 
Cheltenham. 

1856. December 23. Public meeting at the Town Hall— Col. Berkeley, M.P., 
in the chair — to petition against the unjust and oppressive features of the 
Income Tax. 

1857. January 14«. Eirst annual meeting of the Imperial Club, held at the 
new premises, Promenade. The club at that time comprised about two hundred 
and fi'ty members. 

1857 January 17. Eirst brick laid of the Water Company's new reservoir, at 
Hewlett's. The reservoir is four acres in extent, of a maximum depth of twenty- 
five feet, and estimated to hold sixteen millions of gallons of water. 

1857. January 28. Death of Mr. John Nash Belcher, an old inhabitant of 
the town. 

1857. January. Erom an official statement of the county expenditure it 
appears that the total county and police rates for Gloucestershire, amounted to 
£47,793, of which Cheltenham contributed £4,558, or about one-tenth. 

1857. Eebruary 1. Re-opening of St. Paul's Church, after interior altera- 
tions, and re-arrangement of the pulpit and reading desk. 

1857. Et-bruary 12. Death of J. T. Addaras, Esq., for many years manager 
of the Gloucestershire Bank in this town, 

1857. February 12. The wife of Mr. George Smith, assistant to Mr. Westley, 
96, High-street, gave birth to three children. 

1857. Eebruary 18. Captain Berkeley, M.P., visited Cheltenham, and was 
initiated into the mysteries of the Masonic Craft, on joining the Royal Union 
Lodge of Freemasons. 

1857. February 23. Accident to Earl Eitzhardinge. While following the 
hounds iu the Vale of Berkeley, when his lordship was stooping to avoid an 
overhanging bough, the horse stumbled in a grip, and the sudden check caused 
its rider to be thrown over the horse's head with considerable violence. His 
lordship, however, fortunately happened to pitch upon his shoulder. It was 
feared at first that one or more ribs had been broken. The carriage was sent 
for, and the noble earl couveyed to Berkeley Castle, and messengers despatched 
for medical assistance. It was hoped for some time that the noble earl had not 
sustained any serious injury; the shock to the system was, however, so great that 
he never recovered his usual health, but continued to gradually sink untdthe 
time of his death, which took place on Saturday evening, October 10th, 1857, in 
the 71st year of his age. 

1857. March 4. Lord Palraerston's Government defeated in the House of 
Commons by a majority of sixteen on Mr. Cobden's motion, censuring the war in 
China. An address was got up and received the signatures of men of all parties 
in Cheltennara urging his lordship to appeal to the country, and expressing the 
conviction of the memorialists that " the unnatural and factious coalition in the 
House of Commons will result in more firmly establishing you in that power 



616 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

which you have so ably wielded during a most trying and momentous period in 
support of the best interests of this great country." The address received 
nearly 1,200 signatures, and was presented by a deputation consisting of Major 
Edwardes aud W. M. Tartt, Esq. Lord Palmerston appeared much gratified at 
the number of the signatures, and more especially, perhaps, that they included 
gentlemen of all shades of opinion. So strong was the feeling ia Cheltenham 
in favour of our policy in China, that, at the election which ensued, Captain 
Berkeley was returned without opposition ; a requisition to Sir Maxwell Steele 
proving a complete failure, and only obtaining about 300 signatures. 

1857. March 21, T. E. Goddard, Esq., appointed Manager of the Glouces- 
tershire Bark, in the room of Mr. Addams, deceased. 

1357. March 24. Extraordinary accident at Mr. Whitcombe's looking-glass 
and picture gallery, Clarence-street. The cistern overflowed during the night, 
and in the morning the premises were found deluged with water, the damage 
benu estimated at several hundred pounds. 

1857. April 1. Some wag "tried it on'* by sending an advertisement to the 
"Examiner," announcing a sermon by the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, in Sandford 
Field. The advertisement being discovered to be a hoax, it was, of course, 
omitted, but the next morning the same announcement was distributed about the 
town in the form of a handbill. A large crowd congregated in Sandford Fields 
at the hour named ; but, of course, no Mr. Spurgeon ! The " Examiner " of the 
following week, in noticing the occurrence, says : — " If the author of the hand- 
bill is discovered, he may probably find out to his cost that there is a stream of 
water running through Sandford Fields, which may be quite as usefully employed 
in the ducking of his own person as in the baptism of Mormonite disciples." 

1857. April 13. Mrs. Cullis, a " lady preacher," occupied the pulpit at 
Bethany Chapel, Regent-street, and delivered a disccurse of three-quarters of an 
hour to a crowded and attentive audience. 

1857. April 22. The Prince of Oude, whose visit to this country with his 
suite has occasioned much curiosity, stayed at the Queen's Hotel, Promenade, for 
a short time, on Wednesday last, en route to the seat of the Earl of Ellenborough, 
at Southam. Having had an interview with his Lordship the Prince returned to 
Cheltenham, but shortly afterwards took his departure for London, his visit 
altogether not occupying more than a few hours, — " Examiner," April 29. 

1857. April, The Rev. H. W. Bellairs and the Rev. E. Temple initiated the 
scheme of Oxford Middle Class Examinations, since so beneficially acted upon 
throughout the country. 

1857. April. Among the English officers created members of the Imperial 
Order of the Legion of Honour we observe the name of Lieut.-Colonel George 
Steevens, of the 20th Regiment, (second son of Lieut.-Colonel Steevens, of this 
town), a gallant officer, who has not survived to receive his well-earned decora- 
tion, bis death having taken place in February last, the result of arduous service 
in the Crimea — " Examiner," April 29. 

1857. May 14. Death of Mr. Robert Burns, the eldest son of the poet, and 
brother of Col. Wm. Burns and Lieut.-Col. James Burns, of Cheltenham. 

1857. May 26. Openir.g of St. Gregory's (Roman Catholic) Church, with 
sermon by Cardinal Wiseman. 

1857. May 27. Intimation received by Messrs. Fisher and Hasell, church- 
wardens, of the appointment of the Rev. E. Walker to the Incumbency of 
Cheltenham. The new Incumbent preached at the Parish Church for the first 
time since his appointment on Sunday, June 14. 

1857. July. The Lean of Carlisle and Mrs. Close made a short sojourn at 
Cheltenham this month, residing at No. 4, Bayshill-terrace. On Tuesday, the 
7th, the Dean officiated at the Parish Church at the nuptials of his son, Henry 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 617 

Telham Close, Esq., Bombay army, with Miss Annie Hudleston, daughter of R. 
B. Hudlestoo, Esq., of Abao Court. 

1857. July 4. Mr. Charles Matthews performed at the Old Wells, sustaining 
the character of " Mopus" in Married for Money ; and " Plumper,'' in as Cool 
as a Cucumber^ before a highly fashionable audience. 

1857. July 4>. Sudden death of Miss Louisa Moroney, from spasms at the 
heart, at the residence of her mother, 2, Blenheim-parade, Pittville, aged 26. 

1857. July. News received in Cheltenham from India of the gallant conduct 
of Lieutenant Mdller, of the Uth N.I With distinguished bravery he galloped 
into the midst of the mutineers at Meerut, satisfied himself of the nature of 
their proceedings, and then, by the aid of a revolver, fought his way back. Lieut. 
Moller subsequently drove in his buggy to the heart of the city, seized the 
murderer of Mrs, Chambers, and carried him off to a gibbet, from which he was 
presently suspended. This young officer was a brother of the late Major Midler, 
of the 50th, who fell in the trenches before Sebastopol while gallautly cheering 
on his 250 men, to repel with the bayonet 2,000 of the enemy. 

1857. July 17. Collision on the Great Western Railway, near the Bayshill 
bridge. The " up" express, on leaving the station at 2.25, ran off the rails near 
the spot indicated, and came into collision with the down train just arriving from 
Gloucester. Many of the passengers were severely shaken ; but there was no 
loss of life or limb. A pointsman named French was taken into custody for 
supposed negligence, but it did not appear he was to blame. He was a very 
steady man, a Crimean soldier with medals for "Alma," "Balaklava," 
" Inkermann," and " Sebastopol." 

1857. July 25. Died, at East Hayes, Fittville, aged 62, the Rev. J. Browne 
for more than 30 years minister of Trinity Church. 

1857. July 28. Presentation of a handsome time-piece to Dr. Orrell, by the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity, "as a token of esteem for 
his uniform kindness and attention to their sick brethren, and as a testimony of 
their appreciation of his character as an Odd Fellow and a gentleman." 

1857. August 15. Sir William Russell left Charlton Park amid the warm 
adieux of his friends to proceed with his regiment, the 7th Hussars, for service 
in India. 

1857. August 24. Special public prayer meeting for the preservation of our 
-countrymen and countrywomen yet spared from massacre in India. 

1857. August. Ensign Browne, son of Dr. Browne, of Pittville, escaped 
the general massacre of the officers of the 5th Bengal Native Infantry at 
Cawnpore. 

1857- September 15. Large public meeting at the Assembly Rooms to 
express sympathy with the sufferers by the Indian Mutiny, and to organise means 
for their relief. J. A. Gardner, Esq., in the chair. 

1857. September. Capt. A. J. Schreiber, 31st Foot, recommended to the 
Sultan as worthy the decoration of the Order of the Medjidie. 

1857. September 17. The Rtv. Henry Foulkes, D.D., Principal of Jesus 
College, Oxford, and formerly Incumbent of Cheltenham, died this afternoon, at 
the advanced age of 84?. He was appointed to the Incumbency of Cheltenham in 
1799, and held it until 1816, when he was elected Principal of Jesus College, 
which post he held for forty years. Dr. Foulkes was one of the Commissiouers 
named in the Cheltenham Improvement Act of 1821. 

1857. September 22. A woman going by the name of Martha Heath, and 
living at 16, Saudford Street, found drowned in the Chelt, near Barrett's Mill. 
Deceased was 83 years of age, and the " Examiner" in noticing her death says : — 
" We understand that, although deceased went by the name of Heath, her real 
.name was Martha Probert. She was the wife of a man of that name, who was, 



618 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

in company of Thurtell and Hunt, engaged in the robbery and murder of Mr. 
Weare, whose death some thirty years ago caused so much excitement throughout 
the country. On that occasion Probert saved himself from the gallows by turn- 
ing King's evidence. His two companions in crime were convicted and hung, 
and Probert himself was some time afterwards convicted of horse stealing, and 
the crime at that time being a capital offence, he suffered the same fate as his 
former accomplices. Mrs. Probert then took upon herself the name of Heath, 
and has since resided with her relatives in Cheltenham." 

1857. September 23. News from India of the horrible massacre at 
Cawnpore, in which tragedy upwards of 800 white and native < hristians were 
said to have been mutilated and destroyed. The news excited a -feeling of 
indignation such as is rarely witnessed. Allusion was made to it in most of the 
churches, and the subscriptions for the surviving sufferers amounted to two 
thousand pounds. The following lines upon the state of public feeling in. 
Cheltenham, were inserted in the " Examiner" of September 23rd :— ' 

CHELTENHAM AND INDIA. 

Aye, my poor Townsmen, ye may well be sad 
Well may we call our Meeting, and combine 
Our gifts of sympathy, and all to feed, 
To clothe our own sick sons — yea more, to bind 
The ghastly wounds of our sweet, darling girls ! 
Our's ? yes our own ! — What loyal English town 
More whelm'd with anguish? Where the happy hearths 
More robb'd than ours ? — 

O, 'tis a pleasant place 
This Cheltenham ! the good old officer, 
All bronz'd and bruis'd with manifold campaigns 
Beneath the skies of Hindostan. returns 
To nestle here — here, where the Cotswolds break 
The inclement blasts of winter, and the leaves 
Of myriad vistas screen the summer's sun — 
What meetings then with comrades ! morn and eve 
Bear the old fights re-fought, and how they slew 
The monarch of the jungle — Merry days ! 
Merrier than this ! — to-day the laugh is dumb, 
Grief in the face, and crape upon the hat, 
Bad news to-day !— 

It is a drawing-room 
The walls stand thick with portraits, manly son 
And valiant nephew, each in uniform, 
TVen ere they left for India, there they hang! 
Eine lordly features all ! and all are gone, 
Eull of high hope and enterprise, to fight 
Hereditary foes, perchance to vie 
With their stout father's fame. Where are they now ? 
" God knows !" a lady's bursting sobs replied, 
'* Poor Erank here"— and she show'd a photograph, 
The case all worn and dripping of her tears — 
" Poor Frank was last in Delhi : but the mails 
Speak not of him — my gentle Robert, too, 
(O God, so like his sire !) a poniard, sir, 
Cleft that young loving heart !" 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 619 

Most passing sad ! 
Sad, yet not saddest, — you remember well 
Sweet Emraeline the beautiful? — 'twas she 
The belle of belles that scarce two years ago 
All eyes so worshipp'd— on the Promenade, 
Or in the dance, who like her ? Merry girl ! 
And good as merry !— well, the weddiug came, 
A blithesome one, I warrant ye — the spire 
Danc'd to the peals — delighted guests announc'd 
All ioys — and in the nuptial toast 'twas said 
• How she should go to India and grow rich 
And live so long and happily ! — and so 
They sail'd. — Anon, the blessed mails arrived 
Bearing glad news of both — anon they spake 
Of Emmeline's sweet infant — and anon 
Of neither babe nor parent ! — but then came 
Words which I may not copy. ***** 
********** 

Oh ! my poor Townsmen, we may well be sad. 

Well may we fix our brimming eyes above 

And gaze I and gaze ! and gaze ! J. D. M. 

1857, Septemher. The honorary canonry in Gloucester Cathedral, vacant by 
the death of the Rev. Richard Davies, conferred on the Rev. Archibald Boyd, 
A.M., incumbent of Christ Church. 

1857. Welcome Home. — Among the names in our arrival list this week we 
observe with pleasure that of our respected townsman, George Edmunds Williams, 
Esq., who returns to his professional avocations in Cheltenham after a long 
sojourn, under medical treatment, in London. The friends of Mr. Williams will 
rejoice to learn that he has so far conquered his old enemy the gout, as to be 
able to resume his duties as clerk to the Commissioners, as well as to apply himself 
as usual to his own professional practice. " Examiner," Sept. 30. 

1857. A Cheltenham Hero.— We understand that Lieut. Bogle, of the 78th 
Highlanders, who distinguished himself so greatly at the capture of Oonao, on 
the 20th of July, is a son of A. Bogle, Esq., of Clarence House, in this town. 
He was severely wounded while leading the way into a loopholed house. General 
Havelock has recommended the gallant young officer to the notice of his Royal 
Highness the Commander-in-Chief. "Examiner," Sept. 30. 

1857. Ociober 1 and 2, Mr. W. Russell, the "Times" correspondent, gave 
his personal reminiscences of the Crimean war. 

1857- October 7. Day of national humiliation and prayer under the Queen's 
proclamation. Services at all the churches and chapels. The "Examiner" in 
prefacing its report of the various sermons says — '* Her Majesty's commands 
were obeyed with all the solemnity befitting the occasion. The hundreds of our 
families who have friends and relatives in India— the hundreds more whose con- 
nections are on the way thither to avenge the outrages which have been per- 
petrated on our suffering fellow-countrymen, are all at this moment moved with 
deep feelings of sorrow or anxiety ; while among the great mass of the nation, 
there are few hearts who do not sympathise with the sufferings from which they 
individually are exempt, or who do not feel that in this rebellion, there are cir- 
cumstances which deeply affect our national honour, and call for a public expres- 
sion of national humiliation." 

1857. A relic of .Frederick the Great found at Lansdown. " A man digging 
in a garden at Lansdown, turned up a medal in an excellent state of preservation. 



620 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

The piece, which is somewhat larger than an English crown, was struck to com- 
memorate the two victories gained by Frederick the Great over the Austrians— 
that at Rosebach, Nov. 5, 1757, and that at Lissa on Dec. 5, in the same year. 
It is cast from gun metal from cannon captured in the above engagements, and 
bears on its face an equestrian figure of the great Frederick, with the words 
'Frederick, D. G., Borvs,Rex., et Protestanti Defenso', and on the reverse a battle 
piece witn the motto 'Quo nihil magus meliusve.' The medal has been purchased 
by Mr. Jung, nurseryman.'' " Examiner," November 4?. 

1857. November 17. Sudden death of J. J. Rigley, Esq., at his residence, 
Jtaulton Villa, Charlton Kings. 

1857. November 24. Marriage of Captain Berkeley, M.P. — We understand 
the gallant member for Cheltenham was married yesterday to Miss Sumner, a 
daughter of Colonel Holme Sumner, of the Hatchlands, near Guildford, Surrey. 
The young lady is a near relative of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The bells of 
our parish church rang out a merry peal last evening in honour of the event. 
" Examiner," Nov. 25. 

1857. November 26. Lieutenant D. M. Gilby, son of the Rev. F. D. Gilby 
severely wounded at Cawnpore. 

1857. November 28. Distressing accident in the hunting field to Mrs. E. 
Danger field, of 1, Berkeley Villas. Mrs. Dangerfield was riding on her pony 
when the horse of one of the field struck out with tremendous force, inflicting a 
compound fracture of the bones of the leg. The "gentleman?" riding the 
viscious brute galloped on without stopping to enquire into the extent of the 
injury. 

1857. Dec. Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley, on quitting the Admiralty, 
has bestowed his hauling-down vacancy upon Commander Fredk. Augustus Maxse 
(1855), now serving in the Ariel at Gibraltar. Captain Maxse is the officer who, 
as Lieutenant, traversed a forest some thirty miles in extent, thickly interspersed 
with Cossacks, in order to convey intelligence to and from Lord Raglan and Lord 
Lyons after the battle of Alma; for which he was specially promoted on com- 
pleting the necessary period of service. " Examiner." 

1857. Dec. Cheltenham Collegians in India. Proposal for a memorial window 
with tablets bearing the names of the nine pupils of the College who fell at the 
■seige of Delhi, similar to that erected to the ten other pupils who fell in the 
Crimea. 

1858. January. Mr. Mangles, Chairman of the East India Company, gave 
a cadetship in the Indian Navy to the third son of Mr. Cheek of Evesham, as a 
token of sympathy with the father on the loss of his elder son (late a pupil in 
the Cheltenham Grammar School) at the hands of the rebels in the Indian 
Mutiny. 

1858. January. Proposed new street, to afford a direct communication from 
'Clarence Sheet to the Great Western Station, in St. James's Square. The 
design was set on foot by Messrs. Paul and Knight, and was warmly taken up by 
the Town Commissioners. The street was to pass over an angle of the ground 
now occupied by the Temporary Church, and thence through the garden behind 
the Catholic Church. It was discovered, however, that the Commissioners, 
owing to an omission in their Act of Parliament, had no power to carry out the 
undertaking, and the project was abandoned. 

1858. January, rapt. Berkeley, M.P. , gazetted to the Hon. Colonelcy of 
the Royal South Gloucester Militia, in the room of his uncle, the late Lord 
Fitzhardinge. In the Gazette of January 15th, Lieut^ Colonel Newman was 
appointed Colonel-Commandant of the Regiment. 

1858. January. Rev. G. Butler, M.A., appointed Vice-Principal of Chelt- 
enham College. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 621 

1858. January 7. News received at Cheltenham of the arrival at Calcutta, 
on the 19th November, of Sir W. Russel, Bart., in command of the 7th Hussars. 

1858. January 7. Muffled peal at the Parish Church, in memory of Gen. 
Havelock, the news of whose death was received this day. 

1858. January. Proposal to erect a peal of eight bells at St. Luke's Church. 

1858. Jauuary 14?. Vestry meeting to consider a proposal for altering and 
enlarging the Parish Church. The principal interior alterations proposed were, 
to re-pew the Church and remove the organ to the north transept, and to increase 
the accommodation to 1264 sittings instead of 1177, as at present. The vestry 
sanctioned the alterations, and a considerable sum was subscribed towards the 
expense ; but, on the Incumbent and the committee going to Gloucester for a 
faculty, they met with so much opposition from pew owners that the design was 
abandoned. 

1858. February. Contract for the Cheltenham branch sewers given to 
Messrs. Tomliuson and Harpur, for £12,740. The highest estimate was £26,500 
and the lowest £9,600. 

1858. February 24?. Opening of Cheltenham College Chapel, with a sermon 
by the Bishop of the Diocese. 

1858. March 12. Death of James Agg 'Gardner, Esq., Lord of the Manor, 
aged 54?. He was son of the late Major Agg, H.E.I.C.S., who for many years 
resided at Hewlett's near this town, and was one of our local magistrates. 
Major Agg married a sister of the late John Gardner Esq., the wealthy banker 
and brewer, and by her had issue three sons — W. J. Agg, Esq., the present 
possessor of Hewletts ; the late Thomas Agg, Esq., whose widow yet resides 
among us; and James Agg, E-q., whose death we now record. On the death of 
of Mr. Gardner, in February, 1 836, Mr. J Agg assumed the surname of his deceased 
relative, and, at the same time, became possessed of much of Mr. Gardner's 
property He married, on October 16th, 184?4?, Miss E. IMorthey, daughter of 
W. H. Northey, E>q., of Oving House, Bucks, and niece of T. Fortescue, Esq., 
of Suffolk Lawn. — "Examiner," March 17. [^ r - Gardner's death evoked a 
deep feeling of sorrow among all classes in Cheltenham, among whom he was 
held in the highest respect. So great was the estimation in which he was held 
that his fellow townsmen, of all shades of political opinion, joined in testifying 
their respect for his memory by a public funeral. Special allusion was also made 
to the sad event at most of the Churches, and at the Congregational and other 
Dissenting places of worship.] 

1858. March 15. Eclipse of the sun, visible in Cheltenham. By a curious 
coincidence, the first lesson in the morning service for that day was the account 
of the sun and moon standing still at the bidding of Joshua. 

1858. March 16. Elopement of a gallant officer with the daughter of a 
gallant colonel. The young lady set fire to the w.ndow curtains of her room, 
and, in the confusion which ensued, made her escape from the house ; and was 
duly married at Walcot Church, Bath, before her gallant parent had discovered 
her whereabouts. 

1858. March 21. Sacrament at St. Gregory's Catholic Church, when the 
Hon. and Right Rev. Dr. Clifford, titular Bishop of Clifton, administered the 
holy communion to about 300 members of the congregation. 

1858. March 24. Much excitement caused in Cheltenham by a report that 
the Emperor of the French had been assassinated. It appeared that a telegram 
was received of the result of the University boat race, in which was the passage, 
" the Empeior shot a-bead." By some mistake the words were read, and the 
news disseminatpd, as '* the Emperor shot dead." 

1858. March 25. Presentation of a piece of plate, value 100 guineas, to the 
Rev. W. Dobson, Principal of the College, by the masters and assistant masters. 



622 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1858. March. Proposal to erect a memorial window to the memory of the 
late Mr. Gardner in the Parish Church. The window was erected as proposed, 
and represents the appropriate story of the Good Samaritan. 

1858. April 7. Extensive robbery of Mr. Moses, pawnbroker, 172, High 
Street. The thieves took 150 gold and silver watches, 300 wedding rings, 20 
ounces of old gold, large quantities of silver plate, and other valuables, to the 
amount of seven or eight hundred pounds. No trace could be obtained of the 
thieves, nor was any of the property ever recovered. 

1858. April. Accounts received of the death of Lieut. Power, late a pupil 
of Cheltenham College, at a tiger hunt in India. Power attacked a huge tiger 
with great gallantry, but, his attendants running away, the brute seized the poor 
fellow and shook him like a dog worrying vermin. When assistance arrived, 
Lieut. Power was only able to exclaim, " I am dying," and instantly expired. 

1858. May 4. Death of Mr, Charles Fowler, for many years one of the 
leading physicians of the town. Mr. Fowler had retired from practice for some 
time, a disease of the brain having incapacitated him for the active duties of his 
profession. On his retirement an address, numerously signed, was presented to 
him, the document being enclosed in a casket of exquisite design and elaborate 
workmanship, made expressly for the occasion. It was formed of solid rosewood, 
richly ornamented with filagree work and silver, having on a silver plate a copy 
of the address and appropriate inscription. It was surmounted by a statuette group 
in frosted silver, being a facsimile of the "Good Samar tan" standing in the 
vestibule of the Cheltenham Hospital, of the medical staff of which institution 
Mr. Fowler was for many years the senior member. The value of the testimonial 
presented with the address was nearly £1,700, about £1,500 of which was 
invested for Mr. Fowler's benefit. The remainder (deducting about sixty 
guineas for the cost of the casket) was enclosed in the drawer containing the 
address and signatures. 

1858. May 15. Presentation of a tankard and purse of 200 sovereigns to 
Harry Ayris, for 25 years huntsman to the late Lord Fitzhardinge. The testi- 
monial was raised by gentlemen hunting the Cheltenham country, on the occasion 
of the Berkeley hounds being withdrawn from the district. The " Examiner," 
in recording the presentation, says — "The precise date when the Berkeley fox- 
hounds were established cannot be fixed. Even so far back as the time of 
William the Conqueror, the Berkeley family hunted with as much ardour as they 
do now. Smith, in his MSS., refers to the time ' when Lord Berkeley kept 
thirty huntsmen, in tawney coats, and his hounds at the village of Charing 
(now Charing Cross, in the middle of London), and hunted in that vicinity.' 
What they hunted, however, does not clearly appear : we should suppose other 
than foxes.' ' 

1858. May 16. This (Sunday) morning about eleven o'clock, a storm of 
terrific violence, though of short duration, passed over the town. In many 
houses windows were blown in, and looking glasses and other furniture hurled 
ahout the rooms. At Arle Cottage, on the Tewkesbury Road, the lightning 
struck the roof, and passed from room to room in the most strange manner. 
A chimney was knocked down, a window and frame carried bodily into the room, 
the doors of a wardrobe cut open, as from the blow of a hatchet, the flooring 
was in several places torn up, and solid masses of brickwork and masonry were 
cracked and splintered in all directions. The iumates of the house escaped in an 
almost miraculous manner. Mr Glassing and a lodger, who were sitting in a 
room down stairs, escaped unhurt. Mrs. Glassing was dressing before a looking- 
glass in her bedroom : the glass was shattered to pieces, but she herself escaped 
uninjured. A nephew, who was ill in an adjoining room, had his bed covered by 
a complete avalanche of the debris of the building. On his removal to the 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 623 

Hospital, it was found that a piece of flesh, three inches in length, had been 
removed from his shoulder ; and, imbedded in the wound, a small piece of his 
shirt was found. His face, chest, arms, and abdomen were much grazed, and 
one eye completely closed, the loss of the sight being at first appreheuded. 
Fortunately, ke recovered ultimately, without any permanent injury. 

1858. May 19. Mrs. Hewson, wife of Dr. Hewson, of Warwick House, 
committed suicide by poison. Deceased had been but lately married to Dr. 
Hewson, and committed the act in a fit of insanity. 

1858 May 31 Sudden death of Mr. C. F. Wickes, for many years lessee 
of the Pittville and Montpellier Spas 

1858. May 31. The "Hereford Times" reports the festivities which took 
place to-day at Brierly, near Leominster, to celebrate the coming of age of 
Edward Dangerfield, jnu., Esq., son of Edward Dangerfield, Esq, of Cheltenham. 
Mr. Dangerfield had recently purchased the Brierly Estates, and a number of the 
tenants — Mr. S, Griffiths, who farms 400 acres, Mrs. Coates, Mrs. Tipton, aud 
others — entertained the whole of the tenants and 'labourers to May games, and a 
substantial repast in honour of the majority of the "young squire." 

1858. June 9. The "Examiner" of this day records the fact, as proving the 
healthiness of the town, that the Trinitarian Benefit Society, of 4)8 members, 
had, at this time, only three on the sick list, and further, that the society had not 
lost a single member by death since the month ot December, 1856. 

1858. June 17- Thunder storm. St. Margaret's, the residence of Captain 
Smith, struck by the lightning, and much damaged; and a young lady, Miss 
Boteler, standing at a window at Monson Villa, struck down and rendered 
insensible. 

1858. June 24. Presentation to Mr. Charles Allen, the huntsman, for many- 
years a leading character of the Cheltenham Stag Hunt. 

1858 July 7. Ceremony of mounting the Russian guns opposite the 
Queen's Hotel. Admiral Berkeley, Col. Berkeley, M.P., Mr. G. Russell, High 
Bailiff, Mr. Tartt, and others addressed the people, and a number of Crimean 
men, resident in the town, took part in the celebration. 

1858. July 8, Vestry meeting, on the application of Mr. Parsonage to stop 
up a footpath near the Christ Church Schools. It was afterwards discovered 
that there was no power, under the Commissioners' Act, to stop up or divert a 
footpath. Mr. Parsonage, in consequence, attempted on his own authority to 
divert the path ; but his attempt beiug resisted, after some days' fighting, during 
which obstructions were continually put up over the disputed path and as often 
forcibly removed, the attempt was abandoned, and matters allowed to remain 
in statu quo. 

1858. August 25. News arrived of the great victory by Sir Hope Gran 
over the Sepoys at Nawabgunge. Sir W. Russell was present with the 7th 
Hussars, and behaved with great gallantry. In his despatches, in drawing 
attention to particular officers, the Major-General mentions " Major Sir William 
Russell, whose gallantry in leading the charge of the 7th Hussars is deserving 
of the highest praise." Sir William's valet, in writing to his friends in Chelt- 
enham, says — "All the field force cheered Sir William after his gallaut charges. 
Please to let her ladyship and Miss Russell know of it." 

1858. September 14. The Lord Chancellor iu Cheltenham. — Lord and Lady 
Chelmsford, wiih the Hon. Captain Thesiger, and the Hon. Miss Thesiger, 
arrived in Cheltenham on Saturday last from Malvern on a visit to Lord de 
Saumarez, at Montpellier Lodge. His Lordship, during his visit, has made an 
inspection of the College and its beautiful Chapel, and in other respects made 
himself acquainted with our locality. Yesterday ( Tuesday), he lunched at 
Southam, the seat of the Right Hon. the Earl of Ellenborough, and in a few days 



624 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

will, we understand, proceed to London to take leave of his son, an officer in the 
Enniskillen Dragoons, who is about to start for India. u Examiner," Sept. 8. 

1858. September. Memorial window erected in St. Peter's Church, in 
memory of the daughter of the Rev. W. Hodgson, Incumbent. 

1858. September 17. Arrival of the Yeomanry for their usual eight days* 
training. Among the officers was Lieutenant Lord Raglan, a relative of the 
Duke of Beaufort, and son of the ever-to-be-lamented Commander-in-Chief in 
the Crimea. 

1858. October 5. Remarkable appearance of the great comet. The star 
Arcturus in the Constellation Bootes visible, twinkling in a most beautiful manner, 
through the tail of the comet. 

1858. October 11. The new magistrates office opened at the Clarence Hotel. 
These, spacious premises were purchased by the county, and altered by Messrs. 
Broom and Son, builders, so as to form a place for the Magistrates to discharge 
the important fuuctions of their office, and also for the purpose of a Police 
Barracks. It was originally one of the largest hotels in the town, and was 
named the Clarence from the circumstance of Her Majesty Queen Adelaide having 
sojourned there when Duchess of Clarence. 

1858. October 13. Letter in the " Examiner" throwing out the first sugges- 
tion for erecting drinking fountains in Cheltenham. The suggestion was followed 
up, and a memorial, signed by the Incumbent and Churchwardens of the Parish 
Church, the Rev. Cannon Boyd and several other ministers, and a large number 
of lavmen. presented to the Commissions in favour of the proposition. 

1858 November 3. Letter in the tC Examiner" suggesting the erection of a 
parsonage house for Christ Church. 

1858. November. News arrived of the death of Captain E. Cannon, 17th 
Madras N.I. Captain Cannon served as Brigade Major at Cawnpore, and died 
from illness contracted during the mutiny. He was son of Dr. Cannon, the 
eminent physician ot this town. 

1858. November. Death of Lieutenant- General Lightfoot, for many years a 
resident of Cheltenham. Deceased was buried with military honours at Birming- 
ham, a detachment of the 4th Dragoon Guards being sent by Sir Harry Smith to 
assist at the ceremony. The deceased General, an old Peninsular officer, had 
seen a good deal of service, as will be gathered from the following record con- 
tained in Hart's Army List : — " Lieut.-General Lightfoot served in Holland in 
1799. Accompanied the 45th to the Peninsular in 1808, and was present at the 
battles of Roleia, Vimiera, Talavera, and Busaco; actions of Pombal, Redinha, 
Condeia, and Sabugal; battle of Euentes d'Onora, siege of Badajoz, in 1811 ; 
siege and assault of Ciudad Rodrigo, siege and assault of Badajoz (slightly 
wounded), battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and the Pyrenees ; attack on the lines 
of St. Jean de Luz, affair at Bastide, and the battle of Orthes and Toulouse 
(severely wounded). He has received the gold medal and two clasps for Vittoria, 
Pyrenees, and Toulouse; and the silver war medal with eleven clasps for the 
other battles and sieges." The gallant officer was Colonel of the 62nd Regiment. 

1858. December 18. Severe thunderstorm. A man working at Heath's 
nursery was struck by the lightning and seriously injured. 

1859. January 19. Grand historical fete at Sudeley Castle. The costumes 
were of the reign of Henry VI1L, whose last wife, Queen Catherine Parr, died 
and was buried at this Castle. 

1859. January 20. Lord Northwick died, aged 89. In the following July, 
owing to the noble Lord having died intestate, the collection of pictures atThirle- 
staine house, wliich his lordship had spent a lifetime in gathering together, were 
sold by auction and lost to the town. 

1859. January 25. Grand banquet at the Queen's Hotel in commemoration 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 625 

of the centenary of the birthday of the Poet Burns, Sir A. Ramsay, Bart., in the 
chair. 

1859. January 28. Great reform meeting at the Town Hall, Mr. 
Tartt in the chair. Colonel Berkeley, M.P., was present, and addressed the 
meeting. 

1859. February 2. Opening of the Baker Street Mission School's with a 
public tea meeting. In 1861 these schools gave instruction to 270 children. In the 
same year, on the occasion of the baptism of a sou and heir of W.N. Skillicorne, 
Esq. who has always taken a warm interest in the schools, the children and their 
parents were entertained to a tea at that gentleman's expense, on which occasion 
the infant was presented with a handsome silver cup purchased by subscriptions 
among the children and their friends, and bearing the following inscription :— 
" Presented to Master W. N. Skillicorne, on the day of his christening, by 200 
children, belonging to the Baker Street Mission Schools, as a slight token of the 
high esteem entertained for his father, the President of the Institution. March 
13, 1861." 

1859. February 3. Suicide of Baron Philibert de Chastellain at the Eight 
Bells' Inn, by shooting himself in the stomach. Some monetary disarrangements, 
added to a love affair, were believed to be the cause of the rash act. 

1859. February 4. The Board of Directors appointed the Rev. H, Bighton, 
M.A., to the vacant office of Principal of the Cheltenham CoHege. 

1859. February 9th. Opening of the New British Schools in Dunally Street : 
present, Sir Maurice Berkeley, K.C.B., Lady Charlotte Berkeley, Col. Berkeley, 
M.P., W. M. Tartt, Esq., Rev. Dr. Brown, &c. The school rooms are in the 
English domestic style of the fifteenth century ; they comprise a school and two 
class rooms for 450 boys, a school and two class rooms for girls, and a teachers' 
residence; architect, Mr. H. Dangerfield. the late Borough Surveyor. The 
estimate for the works was £1,972, and the internal fittings increased the amount 
to £2,875. Towards this Government gave a grant of £1,350, and the residue 
was raised by voluntary contributions. " One of the scholars,. Thomas R. Jack- 
son, has obtained the highest prize awarded by the Gloucestershire Prize Scheme 
Association at their recent annual examination, and another pupil, William Clarke, 
has also obtained another prize, given by the Dean of Hereford, on political 
economy. Altogether twenty-seven prizes have been gained by scholars, a cir- 
cumstance that reflects the highest credit on Mr. Moore, the master." 
"Examiner," September 21, 1859 Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools reports 
that " Mr. Moore exerts a most beneficial influence over his scholars, and has 
taken especial pains to secure the co-operation of their parents. The result is 
that the tone of his school is admirable, the regularity of attendance unique, the 
organization excellent and always in full force, and the instruction yearly increas- 
ing in completeness, as well as in the universality of its diffusion among the boys.' 
At the annual examination in October, 1861, the chair was taken by Sir Wm. 
Russell, Bart., M.P. 

1859. March 21. A Good Day's Work.— The gallant member for Chelten* 
ham, Colonel F. W. F.Berkeley, was out with his father's houuds on Monday. 
The pack left the Berkeley road station by special train in the morning, arriving 
at Cheltenham at about a quarter past nine. They were then taken thirteen 
miles to the covert side, and after the conclusion of the day's sport the gallant 
Colonel made the best of his way back to Cheltenham, and leaving here by the 
6.30 train for London was enabled to be in his place in the House long before 
the adjournment of the debate on the Reform Bill, and in time for any unexpected 
division which might have taken place on Lord John Russell's amendment. The 
gallant Colonel thus accomplished what, we imagine, will generally be considered 
a pretty fair day's work." " Examiner," March 24. 



626 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1859. March 25. Died at Cheltenham, aged 62, Mr. Charles Hale Jessop , 
for 40 years proprietor of the nursery gardens which bear his name. 

1859. March. News received in Cheltenham that Sir W. Russell had left 
Calcutta on his return from India. 

1859. April 14. Complimentary dinner to C. Cregoe Colraore, Esq., Master 
of the Cotswold Hunt, at the Plough Hotel— Col. Berkeley, M.P., in the chair. 

1859. May 1. Appointed by her Majesty to be observed as a day of humili- 
ation and thanksgiving on the termination of the Indian Mutiny. 

1859. May 8. Pied, at The Elms, Cheltenham, aged 78, Lady Rebecca 
Ricketts, widow of Admiral Sir Robert Tristram Ricketts, Bart., and mother of 
Sir Cornwallis Ricketts, Bart., and Colonel St. Vincent Ricketts. The funeral 
took place on the 1 7th at Swindon Church — the service being read by the Rev. 
A. Boyd. 

1859. May 10. Died suddenly, at his residence, Hewlett Lodge, Francis 
Price, Esq., aged 63. 

1859. Death of Mr. W. Eadley, son of Mrs, Hadley, proprietor of the 
" Cheltenham Journal." 

1859. May. Earl Ducie, as Lord Lieutenant, issued a circular recommend- 
ing the formation of volunteer rifle corps throughout the county. On June 2nd, 
meetings were held at the Old Wells to initiate the volunteer movement in 
Cheltenham. The Earl of Ellenborough was present, and addressed the meeting. 

1859. May 17. Died, after two days' illness, Mr. Richard Bunson, well 
known as lodge keeper at the Pittville Spa. 

1859. June 3. The Town Commissioners, at their meeting this day, discussed 
the proposition of a new public cemetery for Cheltenham. 

1869. June. Appointment of the Rev. Canon Boyd, for 17 years minister 
of Christ Church, to the Incumbency of St. Mary's, Paddington. 

1859. June. Resignation and flight of Dr. Humphreys, Head Master of the 
Grammar School. 

1859. June. Retirement of the Rev. W. Dobson. Principal of Cheltenham 
College. A large sum having been subscribed for the purchase of a testimonial, 
Mr. Dobson selected that the money should be applied to the purchase of a 
" phaeton and horses or a pony carriage and ponies." 

1859. June 29. The Victoria Cross. The "Examiner" of this date says— 
" It gives us great pleasure to record the confirmation by her Majesty of a grant 
by which Lieut. Farquharson, of the 42nd Regiment, nephew of Mr. Farquharson, 
of Nelson House, in this town, is decorated with the Victoria Cress, as a 
memento of an act of bravery performed by him during the late mutiny in India. 
It is described as follows : " Lieut. Francis Edward Henry Farquharson, for 
conspicuous bravery when engaged before Lucknow, on the 9th March, 1858, in 
having led a portion of his company, stormed a bastion mounting two guns, and 
spiked the guns, by which the advanced position held during the night of the 
9th of March, was rendered secure from the fire of the artillery. Lieutenant 
Farquharson was severely wounded while holding an advanced position on the 
morning of the 10th of March." 

1859. July. Return from India of Henry Mills Cannon Esq., eldest son of 
Dr. Cannon, ordered home from ill health, contracted in discharging the duties of 
his profession, during the war of the rebellion. 

1859. July 19. The Rev. Gordon Calthrop commenced a series of open air 
preaching in Sherborne-street. 

1859. July 21. Extraordinary hurricane in Cheltenham. The day had been 
unusually close and sultry; when about 5 o'clock in the evening the gathering 
clouds gave indications of an approaching storm. Suddenly, it appeared as 
though the flood gates of the Heavens had been opened and the rain descended, 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 627 

not in drops, bat as though poured bodily out of some reservoir above. The 
storm was accompanied by terrific peals of thunder and gusts of wind which 
seemed to blow from all parts of the compass at once. The streets were speedily 
flooded, water traps and drain pipes refused for a time their salutary offices, 
cellars became full, house tops were saturated and roofs penetrated, while the 
spouting of ordinary dwellings bubbled and gurgled under the pressure of the 
unusual flow. In the midst of this terrific down-pour, a hurricane swept over a 
part of the town, committing an amount of devastation which must have been 
seen to be believed. Commenceing at the Workhouse garden it swept over a tract 
of ground about 50 yards wide, sweeping away everything moveable and prostra- 
ting every thing permanent which stood in its way. In the Plough Garden* 
pigstyes were unroofed, walls prostrated in an instant, garden frames sent flying 
through the air, chimneys blown down, and trees in every stage of growth and 
loaded with their store of Summer fruits uprooted and laid prostrate on the 
ground. Passing from thence, the storm swept through the wood of Mr. L. 
Griffiths, of Marie Hill, making a clean breach among the trees, which large and 
small were thrown down by hundreds in the course of a few minutes. In one 
place a cumbrous wooden house was overturned bodily and one of its windows 
carried spinning through the air a distance of 300 yards. At another spot a 
garden wall was laid flat along its entire length and a slaughter-house of Mr. 
Warner completely dismantled, Mr. Warner's two sons having a narrow escape. 
At another point, in the garden of Mr. Hooper, confectioner, every thing in the 
shape of a tree or shrub was uprooted and destroyed. But it was in Mr. 
Griffiths's wood that the storm appears to have reached the climax of its fury; trees 
were blown down in every direction, large limbs were sent careering through 
the air as though they were mere wisps of straw, while one stately elm, the 
monarch of the grove — measuring 70 feet in length, 25 feet across the roots, and 
18 feet in circumference of the trunk, — was overturned as completely as the 
young saplings by which it was surrounded. The damage done in the space of a 
few minutes it was impossible to estimate, and no one could have believed that a 
mere wind could have produced such results without they had been eye-witnesses 
of its havoc and desolation. At Miss Bartholomew's, milliner, in the Promenade, 
the water penetrated the roof and poured into the show rooms in a regular cascade, 
doing damage to the extent of nearly £800. The duration of the storm did not 
exceed half-an-hour, and the weather cleared off within the next few minutes, and 
resulted in a calm, beautiful, and peaceful, evening. 

1859. July 21. Sale by auction of the wines of the late J. A. Gardner, Esq., 
ports of 1820 vintage sold for 134s., and of 1834 vintage 140s. to 186s. ; sherries 
fetched from 86s. to 140s.; and a prime lot of brandy 97s. per dozen. 

1859. August 3. Letter under this date from the Rev. E. Walker to his 
parishioners, announcing the closing of the Parish Church as unfit for public 
worship. The letter set forth that the church being now closed it would be 
neccessary to erect a Temporary Church for the accommodation of 1,400 or 1,500 
persons : that it would M be impossible ever again to make the church in its present 
form available for the purposes of public worship ;" that the Incumbent could 
" never consent to officiate, or to allow any other person to officiate, therein, 
while the present galleries are standing ;" that unless the owners of facultied 
pews would abandon their rights, the churchwardens would be compelled by law to 
demand a church-rate for rebuilding the edifice ; and that if a church-rate should 
be refused, then " the present sacred and time hallowed building and the site on 
which it stands " would have to be abandoned, and " a new church on a new 
site" be erected by private subscription. The cause of the issuing of this letter 
and the events to which it led, may be thus stated. In the month of July, the 
pew holders in the South aisle of the church had agreed among themselves at 



628 HISTOKY OP CHELTENHAM. 

their own cost to rearrange and modernize their sittings. On the pews being 
taken down and the flooring removed, it was found that the vaults below were 
open or partially so to the church above, so that the effluvia arising from the dead 
could not but contaminate the air breathed by the living. This discovery 
created a very painful feeling among the parishioners ; the proposed alterations 
were immediately abandoned, and a resolution come to, to close the church until 
the vaults could be properly filled up. It was further ascertained that the pillars 
which supported the galleries were so loose as to induce the Incumbent to fear that 
the galleries themselves could never be made sufficiently secure, so as to induce the 
congregation again to assemble ; and that the attempt to assemble them until the 
galleries were made secure would be a wanton imperiling of human life ; hence his 
proposition for their removal. The buttresses of the tower were also found to he 
cracked, thus necessitating a careful survey of this part of the structure and its 
thorough reparation. But on the church heing closed, the difficulties of the 
" situation " were found to be almost insurmountable. The galleries are, for the 
most part, private property : that is, they consist of pews " facultied " to certain 
houses, and it would he necessary before their removal, to obtain the consent of 
every individual possessing a faculty pew: This could not he done ; vestry 
meeting after vestry meeting was held, committees appointed, and plan after plan 
suggested and rejected. The Town Commissioners were applied to to concrete 
the area of the church at the public expense ; but that body, although willing 
to defray the expense of concreting, would not incur the responsibility of remov- 
ing the pews. In this state of affairs, there appeared every probability that the 
church would remain permanently closed, and the fabric itself he allowed to go 
to decay. At this juncture, Mr. G. E. Williams pointed out that, under a clause 
in the recent Burial Act, the Secretary of State had power to interefere, where a 
church or chapel was in a state dangerous to the health of the worshippers, and 
to order the building to be placed in a sanitary state, and the expense to he 
defrayed out of the public poors' rate. Mr. "Williams communicated his 
discovery to Mr. G. Norman, who with him took a deep interest in the re-opening 
of the huiiding ; and Mr. N., in conjunction with Mr. William Boodle, at 
once obtained an introduction to the Secretary of State, through the good 
offices of Colonel Berkeley, the member for the borough. On ohtaining 
an interview with Mr. Waddingham, Under-Secretary of State, Mr. Norman 
prepared and signed a memorial setting forth the facts of the case, and 
hy this means Dr. Holland, the Sanitary Officer of the Burial Board 
was directed to proceed to Cheltenham and inspect the building, and to make his 
report to the Home Office. Dr. Holland visited Cheltenham on the 7th of 
October, and was met at the church hy Mr. Hasell, Mr. Eisner, Mr. George 
Russell, Mr. Harford. Mr. Boodle, the Churchwardens, and other parishioners, 
and with them made a thorough inspection of the building. In due course he 
made his report to the Secretary of State, and the result was the following 
" Order in Council," which was published in the <# London Gazette" of the 24?th 
of January, I860 : — " That the vaults and graves in the Parish Church of 
Cheltenham be forthwith filled up with dry earth mixed with charcoal, and the whole 
floor covered with a layer of concrete not less than nine inches thick, as completely 
as it is practicable without interfering with the future repairs of the church." 
This "order" was at once acted upon by the churchwardens; the pews and 
flooring were removed, the vaults filled up, the area of the church concreted, the 
pillars of the galleries supported, and the defects in the tower substantially 
repaired. The pews and fittings were then replaced as they had stood before, and 
the church was re-opened for Divine worship on the 8th of March, 1861, the 
Rev. E. Walker, Incumbent, preaching the opening sermon. The amount levied 
on the Poor-rate was £600, and it is only an act of justice towards the Dissenters 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 629 

of Cheltenham to add that no objection was ever raised on their part to this 
expense being incurred or the money paid. On the contrary, before Mr. Norman 
put the machinery of the Home Office in motion he consulted with the leading 
members of several Dissenting congregations, to know if any objection would be 
raised to an expenditure of £500 for such a purpose. The answer he received 
from each was to the effect that there would be no objection ; and that any 
sacrifice they could make, except the sacrifice of principle in the imposition of a 
Church-rate, they would gladly make, in order to put an end to the scandal of 
the Parish Church being allowed to remain closed and to fall into decay. This 
understanding was carried out in the most honourable manner; and when 
Churchmen are inclined to reflect upon Dissenters for their hostility to Church- 
rates it will be well to bear in mind the forbearance which the great Dissenting 
body of the town manifested in 1860 in reference to the restoration of the 
Parish Church of Cheltenham. 

1859. August 11. Sudden death, from rupture of a blood vessel, of George 
Schonswar, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Guardians, and a Magistrate for the 
Cheltenham district. 

1859. August 24. Presentation to Mrs. Nicholson, wife of Mr. John 
Nicholson, Postmaster of Cheltenham, of a portrait of her husband, painted by 
subscription among a number of his fellow-townsmen as a token of respect. 

1859, August 27. Sudden death of the Rev. J. E. Riddle, for nearly 20 
years minister of St. Philip's Church. The Rev. gentleman had composed his 
sermon for the following morning, and laid the manuscript on the library table. 
He afterwards joined in the family devotion, but almost immediately after retiring 
to his room was seized with a fit, in which he instantly expired. Mr. Riddle was 
one of the best Hebrew scholars of his day ; had published several standard 
works ; was the author of the well-known "Riddle's Scripture History;" and as 
a man and a clergyman was universally respected. 

1859. August 27. John Tinsley, a student in the Training College, drowned 
while bathing in the Severn at Wainload Hill. His remains were interred in 
Swindon Churchyard, the funeral being attended by the staff of the College and 
a number of his fellow pupils. 

1859. September 1. Mr. James Downing elected Chairman and Mr. "William 
Hasell Vice-Chairman of the Cheltenham Board of Guardians. 

1859. September 7. It was stated that the storage of water for the supply of 
Cheltenham in the Company's five reservoirs was on the 12th of August 
14,194,803 gallons ; that the daily supply from the springs (during the short 
season) was 180,720 gallons, and the daily supply to the inhabitants 204,395 
gallons. 

1859. September 10. Died, aged 61, Capt. Sumner, J. P. for the county of 
Surrey, and father of the lady of Colonel Berkeley, M.P. for Cheltenham. 

1859. September 19. " Musical Record" first published ; amalgamated with 
the " Cheltenham Times," January 4th, 1861. 

1859. October 6. Married, at the Parish Church, Toddington, the Hon. 
Henrietta Emma Tracey, third daughter of Lord and Lady Sudeley, to Captain 
Maude, of the Indian Army, and nephew of Lord Viscount Hawarden. The 
incident is noticeable as being the first occasion for the last two hundred and 
thirty years of a daughter of the House of Tracey being married at her own 
parish church. 

1859. October 15 and 19. Mrs. Mair, a grand-daughter of Mrs. Siddons, 
gave readings from " Romeo and Juliet" and • Julius Caesar" at the Literary 
Institution. 

1859. October 17. Commencement of the tower of St. Gregory's Catholic 
Church. The spire is to be 208 feet in height, or 41 feet higher than that of the 



630 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Parish Church.—" The Entente Cordiale. Yesterday men were busily employed 
carting the earth excavated from the site of the new tower of the Catholic 
Church, to make good the ground in front of its Protestant rival in Clarence 
Street."— "Examiner," October 19. 

1859. October 25. Wreck of the Royal Charter. Among those who perished 
was Mr. John Maule, formerly of this town. The body was washed on shore 
some weeks afterwards, and being identified by numerous articles found upon it, 
it was brought to Cheltenham, and buried in the Cemetery on the 30th of 
November in the presence of a large number of persons. Thomas Cormick, the 
steward of the vessel, who was fortunately saved, was also a Cheltenham man, 
having been for some years butler in the family of Miss Barry, of Imperial 
Square. Cormick lost in the wreck all the money he had saved, £30, and his 
clothes for a six months' voyage ; and a subscription was raised in the town 
through the good offices of Mr. Russell to make up his loss. 

1859. November 3. Opening of the New Temporary Church, Clarence 
Street. This church, built of iron and wood, was erected by subscription, to 
provide a place for the congregation of the Parish Church, during the closing of 
that edifice, as previously explained. On the Parish Church being re-opened, it 
was found that the congregation was sufficient to fill both buildings : and the 
"Temporary" Church, therefore, continues in existence after the occurrences 
which originally called it into being have passed away. 

1859. November 8. Tea meeting to celebrate the clearing off the debt on 
the Congregational Church and Schools, on which £10,000 had been expended 
during the last few years. A handsome timepiece was presented on the occasion 
to Mr. Charles Eield as a token of his indefatigable exertion in clearing off the 
debt. 

1859. November 9. Death of Mr. G. T. E. Smith, well known in 
Cheltenham as prophesying the state of the weather, and foretelling individual 
and national destinies from planetary influences. He was a great sufferer from 
asthma, and his death occurred at the age of 65. 

1859. November. Appointment. The Rev. J. Douglas Middleson, M.A., 
late Scholar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and formerly Assistant Master 
of Cheltenham College, has been appointed by the Incumbent, the Rev. Archibald 
Boyd, to the curacy of St. James's, Paddington. 

1859. November 15. Mr. John Goulder, aged 84, and Mr. Samuel Page, 82, 
well known inhabitants of the town, shot a pigeon match at five birds each, the 
junior youth being declared the winner. " It may be interesting to state that 
both these veteran sportsmen are * town's born.' Goulder was born at the 
4 Eight Bells,' and was for many years stud groom to the Duke of Gordon, from 
whom he received as a present the gun which did him such good service in the 
above match. His opponent Page served under the immortal Nelson, and was 
present at the cutting out of the Erenck flotilla in Boulogne Harbour in 1801."— 
•*" Examiner." 

1859. November 22. Presentation of an address with nearly 1000 signatures 
to the Rev. Canon Boyd on his final leave-taking with his congregation. The 
address was enclosed in an appropriate casket and accompanied by a large sum of 
money, subscribed by Mr. Boyd's friends in Cheltenham. 

1859. November 30. Eoundation stone laid of the tower of the new 
Catholic Church. 

1859. Returns issued, showing that out of 7000 in-patients admitted during 
20 years in Cheltenham Hospital, only 350 (or about 5 per cent.) died while 
under treatment. Of 136,544 Dispensary patients, only 2,507 died, or 1.8 per 
cent, on the number admitted. 

1859. December. The weather being very severe, subscriptions were raised 



CHROrOLOGICAL EVENTS. 631 

for the unemployed poor, who were set to tariff work on the footpaths; the first 
time since 1846 — 13 years. 

1859. December 15. Died, at his residence, Apsley Villa, Pittville, Robert 
Bamford, Esq., aged 67, a Magistrate for this district. 

1860. January. Appointment of the Rev. J. F. Eenn, Vicar of Stolfold, 
Bedfordshire, to the Incumbency of Christ Church. 

1860. January 5. Sir William Russell, Bart., qualified as a magistrate for the 
Cheltenham District. On the 21st the gallant Baronet made his first appearance 
on the Cheltenham Bench, being introduced by the senior magistrate present, C. 
LI. Harford, Esq. 

1860. January 5. First Funeral of a Cheltenham Rifleman. The remains 
of Mr. W. Kingsley, Drill-Sergeant in the Seventh Company, were interred at 
the cemetery with military honours. 

1860. ' February. Testimonial to the Rev. C. H. Bromby, Incumbent of St. 
PauFs, subscribed for by members of the congregation. On being informed of 
what was intended, Mr. Bromby at once declined any personal gift, but ex- 
pressed his desire that the amount raised should be devoted to the restoration of 
the organ, so that it might stand as a public and lasting memento of the affection 
which exists between the congregation and their pastor. 

1860. February. Monument erected in St. Philip's Church, to the memory of 
the Rev. J. E. Riddle. The monument consists of a large slab of veined white 
marble, resting on a deep moulding, and bearing a suitable inscription. A very 
beautiful medallion, in statuary marble, of the Angel in the Apocalypse sur- 
mounts the inscription, which is a worthy tribute to the qualities of the deceased 
in his private and public character. — M Examiner," Feb. 22. 

1860. February 21 to 25. Great sale of effects at Fulwood Park, by Messrs. 
Engall and Sanders. Among the wines, 1834 Port fetched from 115s. to 14?7s. ; 
the Sherries varying from 84*s. to 110s. 

1860. February 22. First appearance in the "Examiner" of the Stray 
Notes, by " The Man about Town " 

1860. February Mr. VV. F. McDonell, of the Bengal Civil Service, son of 
JSneas McDonell, Esq , of Pittville House, Cheltenham, has just been honoured 
by her Majesty with the Victoria Cross, for his great coolness and bravery on 
the 30th July, 1857, during the retreat of the British troops from Arrah, in 
having climbed, under an incessant fire, outside the boat in which he and several 
soldiers were, up to the rudder, and, with considerable difficulty, cut through the 
lashing which secured it to the side of the boat. On the lashing being cut the 
boat obeyed her helm, and thus thirty-five European soldiers escaped certain 
death. — London Gazette, Feb. 17. The well-won honour, by which her Majesty 
has been pleased to mark her appreciation of the services of Mr. McDonell, must 
be exceedingly gratifying to his relations and friends in Cheltenham, where at 
our noble College he received his education ; as did also his brother, Lieutenant 
T. M. McDonell, of the 6th Madras Light Infantry.— Looker- On. The Directors 
of Cheltenham College, at their meeting, ordered the names of those pupils who 
may from time to time be honoured with the Victoria Cross, to be placed con- 
spicuously in the large schoolroom of the Civil and Military Department. The 
first of these names will be those of Mr. W. F. McDonell and Captain A. C. 
Boyle, of the 78th Highlanders, the latter of whom also received his education 
within its walls. — "Examiner." 

1860. March 7. Volunteer officers at Court. The officers of the Cotswold 
Volunteer Rifle Corps — Captain Wood, Lieutenant Swiny, Ensign Speer, and Dr. 
Eves, the latter the hon. surgeon to the members — and Captain Robert Dwarris 
Gibney, 7th Company, present to-day at her Majesty's Reception of the Volunteer 
Officers of the Kingdom. 



632 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 

1860. March. Pirst drinking fountain erected for the use of the public by 
the Improvement Commissioners. The cost of erection was £46 16s. 7d. It is 
situate at the High-street end of White Hart-row. A second public fountain was 
erected in the same year at the rear of the Market-place, at the sole expense of a 
resident benevolent lady— Miss Carrington. They were both erected from designs 
by the Borough Surveyor, Mr. H. Dangerfield. 

1860. March. Miss Muloch, the popular authoress of "John Halifax" 
'Life for Life," &c, spent some time this month on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. 
Dobell, Detmore House, Charlton Kings. 

1860. March 20. Mr. W. E. Williams, formerly in the employ of the 
Cheltenham Gas Company appointed by the Quarter Sessions Inspector of Gas 
Meters for this county, under the recent Act of Parliament. 

1860. March. Prom a return presented to Parliament at this time it appears 
that the number of electors for Cheltenham in 1832 was 919, and in 1859, 2,359, 
being an increase of 1,440 since'the passing of the Reform Bill. 

1860 March 22. Sale by auction, by Mr. Sweeting, of the copyright, file, 
good-will, plant, stock, and printing materials of the Cheltenham Chronicle for £315. 

1860. April 4. Distressing accident to Mr. Hanks, Manor Parm, Charlton 
Abbotts. Mr. Hanks, his son Thomas, and the Messrs. Beckingsale, of this 
town were going out for an hour's rabbit shooting, when the gun of one of the 
last-named gentlemen was accidentally discharged, and the contents entering the 
head and neck of Mr, Hanks, junior, aged 17, caused his instant death. The 
occurrence was pronounced by the coroner's jury to be purely accidental. 

1860. April 7. Death of a character. A sporting character, well-known as 
"Billy Holtham," died suddenly at the Berkeley Arras, Albion-street. 

1860. April 7. Daring attempt at burglary at the residence of Thomas 
Kimber, Esq,, 41, Clarence-square. The thieves had nearly effected an entrance 
to the premises when the housemaid, Susan Trescowthick, hearing a noise, 
jumped out of bed and rushing to the front door called out " Thieves !" '' Police !'* 
with all her might. The robbers on the outcry being raised beat a hasty retreat 
without their anticipated boot}% there being a large quantity of plate in the 
house, a fact which no doubt they were well aware of. 

1860. April 9. Visit of the Stroud Yolunteers to Cheltenham. 

1860. April 11. The "Examiner" of this date contains the following 
obituary announcements : — J. C. Symons, Esq., H.M. Inspector of Schools, and 
formerly editor of the "Examiner," who died at Malvern, April 7, aged 50; 
Mrs. Perry, of Avondole House, (daughter of the late Lieut.-Col. Baron), who 
died on the 8th : Thomas Barber, Esq., who died at his residence, Suffolk-square, 
on the the 6th ; and Mr, A. H. Hamilton, formerly a newspaper reporter well- 
known in Cheltenham. 

1860. April 12. The Times of this date announced that the Pirst Lord 
of the Admiralty had presented a naval cadetship to the son of the late J. C. 
Symons, Esq., in recognition of the services of his father in the cause of 
education. 

1860. April 14. Death of Pulwar Craven, Esq. We have to record the 
death of another of the notables of this neighbourhoood — Pulwar Craven, Esq., 
of Brockhampton Park, which event occurred on Saturday last, the 14th instant, 
in the 78th year of his age. Deceased was for many years a leading character 
in the fashiooable and sporting doings of his day, and although for the last seven 
or eight years he has resided principally at his country seat, yet for the forty or 
fifty years antecedent to that time, his well-known figure and equipage were as 
familiar to the habitues of the High-street as the High-street itself. His death 
severs another connecting link between Cheltenham as it is to-day, and as it was 
in the olden time. — " Examiner," April 18, 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 633 

1860. April 17. Sermon by the Rev. W. M. Puncheon, at Wesley Chapel. 

1860. April 23. Appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean at the Royal 
Old Wells. 

I860. April 30. Sale of shop property in the High-street, by Engall and 
Sanders: Nos. 385 and 386, High-street, in the occupation of Mr. G. Sweeting, 
at a rental of £190 per annum, was " bought in " at £2,700 ; the Royal Library, 
rental £140, sold at £2,220; 382, High-street, rent £120, sold for £1,600; and 
three-quarters of an acre of land behind the Royal Library sold for £700. 

1860. May 20. The 10th and 13th Companies Cheltenham Volunteers 
attended divine service at the Temporary Church. The sermon was preached by 
the Rev. E. Walker, Incumbent. 

1860. May 23. Letter in the " Examiner " from Mr. Chas. Schreiber calling 
attention to a motion of Mr. Rolt to engraft upon the Reform Bill a clause 
giving two members to Cheltenham. Mr. Schreiber gave it as his opinion that 
the granting a second member would be hailed *as a real boon by all who have 
the interest of the town at heart. 

1860. May 23. Confirmation by the Bishop at the Temporary Church. The 
rite was administered to 706 persons — 522 females and 184* males. 

1860. May 30. Advertisement issued by the Churchwardens for tenders for 
" concreting " the area of the Parish Church. In removing the flooring two 
ancient stone coffins were discovered. In filling up the graves, the " Examiner" 
states that "in one of the vaults, that of an old and well-known inhabitant of the 
town who died about 20 years ago, the wood of the coffin was in a perfect state of 
preservation, the polish on the wood was undimmed, and the metal of the coffin 
plate, handles, &c, was as bright as ever." 

1860. May. Much discussion was caused this month by proceedings against a 
number of respectable tradesmen for infringment of certain provisions of the 
Town Act. Mr. G. E. Williams, clerk to the commissioners, published several 
letters in the " Examiner " impugning the conduct of the Magistrates "as uncon- 
stitutional and illegal, as bringing the law into contempt, and unconsciously 
giving impunity to crime." At the petty sessions on May 15th, — present, Messrs. 
Hallewell, Harford, Skillicorne, Jones, and Frobisher — the Chairman read a 
document which he stated to be "the unanimous and deliberate sentiments of the 
Bench, " and which contained the following paragraph " The Magistrates have 
since received a written communication from Mr. Williams, disavowing the 
intention of applying to their conduct mala-fides — corruption — or anything else 
of a dishonourable character — which is so far satisfactory — but after such a charge 
made so publicly, no private explanation could be accepted." •' Examiner," 
May 16. 

1860. May 30, Mr. W. Esson (son of Mr. Esson, manager of the Chelten- 
ham gas works) formerly a pupil of the Grammar School obtained an open 
Fellowship at Merton College. The "Examiner" adds, Mr. Esson obtained the 
Junior Mathematical Scholarship in 1857 , and last year was awarded a first class 
in mathematics, whereby he became entitled to the Whitfield prize of £50, given to 
every member of St. John's College, not being on the foundation, who shall be 
placed in the first class at the public examinations. In the last Lent term Mr. 
Esson also gained the Senior Mathematical Scholarship. 

1860. June 7. Count Frederic Metaxa, aged 13, (son of Count Baptiste 
Metaxa) obtained a naval cadetship. He was formerly a pupil at the Cheltenham 
Juvenile College, and, on his appointment, was understood to be the youngest 
officer in Her Majesty's service. 

1860. June 9. Mrs. Hyson, wife of a poor man living at 47, Duke-street, 
delivered of three children at a birth. The trio of little strangers were pronounced, 
with their mother, to be doing well. 



634 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1860. June. Tender for erection of St. Mark's Church taken by Mr. John 
Acock for £2880, the building to be completed within a twelvemonth. 

1860. June 21. Sale by Mr. Leach of the Arthur's Field Farm, 84? acres. It 
was bought by Mr. Arkell for £5950. 

1860. Sudden death of Major Morgan, an officer residing for many years in 
Cheltenham. Deceased had just left a prayer meeting at the Rev. E. Walker's 
when he was seized with a fainting fit and almost immediately expired. 

1860. June 28. Presentation of a candelabrum by the working men of 
Rochdale to their late representative Sir A. Ramsay, Bart. 

1860. July 3. At the great Wimbledon rifle meeting Corporal Burgh of the 
Cotswold Company was one of the successful competitors, winning with 15 points 
one the £25 Whitworth rifles. 

1860. July 4. Proposal to form a limited liability company for the purchase 
of the Plough Hotel, for £33,000 in £10 shares. 

I860, July 13. Died, at 12, Royal Crescent, the Rev. T. F. Henney, M. A., 
son of the late Thomas Henney, Esq., and brother of W. Henney, Esq. 

1860. July 21. Severe hail storm in Cheltenham and its neigbourhood. At 
"The Hewlets" nearly every flower in the gardens was destroyed. Six acres of 
mangolds and sweedes were so riddled with the hail stones as to be almost 
destroyed, while the cocks of hay in the fields were white as snow. It is a 
coincidence worth recording that it was on this day twelvemonth a hurricane did 
so much damage in Cheltenham as recorded under that date in our " Chrono- 
logical Events.'' 

1860. August 4. Only five persons were buried in Cheltenham this week, 
out of a population of 40,000. The united ages of these five were 399 years, or 
an average of 80 years each. 

1860. August 16. Sudden death of T. Leighton, Esq., solicitor, at his 
residence, 5, Belle Vue Place. 

1860. August 25. Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley and the Hon. Augustus 
Berkeley, on a visit to Colonel Ricketts, at German Cottage, 

1860. September 5. The Dean of Carlisle preached at the Temporary 
Church. 

1860. September 18. Grand Volunteer Review at Gloucester. Total number 
of volunteers present, 6,093. 

1860. September. Final break up of the association known as " The Literary 
and Philosophical Institution." 

1860. September 20. Laying of the foundation stone of St. Mark's Church, 
by the Rev. Wm. Carus, one of Simeon's trustees. The church was consecrated 
February 8th, 1862. 

1860. September 24. Re-opening of the Ball-room, at the Assembly Rooms, 
after complete renovation and re-decoration, by the lessee, Mr. Buckman. 

1860. October 2. Sale of the Crown Inn, High Street, by Mr, Leach. The 
premises were purchased by Mr. Charles Turk, maltster, for £2,200. 

1860, October5. Proposal at the Commissioners' meeting to purchase the • 
Literary Institution building as " offices" for the Commissioners. The question 
was debated through several months, but ultimately the design was abandoned. 

1860. October 9. Accident to Major Mortimer. While shooting in the 
neighbourhood of Winchcomb, the gallant Major's gun exploded, badly shattering 
the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. 

1860. October. Appointment of the Rev. Canon Boyd to the office of Rural 
Dean, for that district of London which comprises the ten parishes of the 
important district of Paddington. 

1860. October 18. Sudden death of Mr. W. H. Newman, of the firm of 
Newman and Lance," drapers, of this town. The Firm had announced to open 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS, 635 

that day their enlarged premises and show rooms ; the anxiety and exertion in 
the preparation of which, no doubt, led to Mr. Newman's death. 

I860. November 20, Married, at St. Luke's Church, Miss Harriet Jane 
Pearson, second daughter of Lieut. -Col. Pearson, of Bays Hill Lawn, to Captain 
Grey, only son of Sir George Grey, and equerry to His Royal Highness the 
Prince of Wales. 

1860. November 23. Death of Lieut.-Col. Hamerton, at his residence, 22, 
Lansdown Place. Col. Hamerton entered the army in 18 )6, went through the 
Peninsular campaigns, was with Sir John Moore at Corunna, served under 
Wellington at Badajoz and Salamanca, where he received a wound in the thigh, 
which sent him home, and ultimately compelled him to leave the service shortly 
after the conclusion of the war. 

I860, December 3. Case of Towle versus Boodle. An action for assault 
and slander, tried before the Court of Queen's Bench, Westminster. After a 
hearing of several hours, the jury returned a verdict on the count of slander for 
the defendant, and on the count of assault for the plaintiff, with one farthing 



1860. December 12. The new bronze coinage got into circulation in Chelt- 
enham. The " Examiner" says — " Our Cheltenham tradesmen were not slow in 
making a ■ leading feature ' of the new coinage. Mr. Thomas, of the Golden 
Canister, 334*, High Street, had, on Monday, a huge pile of it in his shop window, 
and so great was the ' run' upon it in the course of the day, that in the evening 
he was compelled, in the language of the Money Market, to * raise the rate of 
discount,' the bronze pennies and half-pennies commanding a high 'Premium.'" 

1860. December 20. Death of George Russell, Esq., High Bailiff of Chelt- 
enham. The "Examiner," in noticing the event, says — "There are few public 
officers who have commanded so general an amount of respect, and maintained for 
bo many years such a universal popularity as the late High Bailiff of Cheltenham. 
His genial disposition and good temper, his integrity and impartiality in the dis- 
charge of difficult duties, and in mediating between conflicting interests, formed, 
no doubt, the secret of this popularity and respect. By his death the town loses 
a good public officer, and his loss will be mourned by a large circle of warm and 
attached friends. The deceased gentleman was 62 years of age, and of this 
term of existence nearly forty years were spent in the service of the public." 

1860. December 21. Presentation of a Maltese cross in gold, to J. Rees 
Philipps, Esq., colour sergeant of the Cotswold Company, as a memento of the 
appreciation of his exertions in support of that company, by his brethren in 
arms. 

1860. December 26. Very severe frost : cricket match on the ice at Pittville 
lake. So severe was the frost that the water in the boiler of the "Examiner" 
steam engine was frozen so hard, that it was found dangerous to get up steam. 
The paper had, therefore, to be w r orked off by manual labour. 

1860. December. This month Captain Struan Robertson successfully oarried 
out a project he had initiated two years ago, of planting a row of trees each side 
of the Lansdown Road. On December 14, the ceremony of planting the first 
tree was performed by Captain Struan Robertson and his lady, the latter burying 
a couple of half-crowns under the roots. This road is upwards of 1,200 
yards in length, and when the trees have attained a few years growth, it will be, 
without doubt, one of the finest drives of the kingdom. It will form, in fact, the 
Champs Mysees of Cheltenham, and, we think, the town is much indebted to 
Captain Robertson for originating so great an improvement. — "Examiner." 
The expense, upwards of fifty pounds, was raised by voluntary contributions, 
collected by the Parish Church verger, Mr. J. Russell. The number of avenues 
of trees in Cheltenham distinguish it in this particular from all other Watering 



636 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 

Places in the kingdom. The beautiful Promenade was formed by the late T. 
Henney, Esq., and the proprietors of Pittville and other private estates followed 
his example. Besides being ornamental, they are beneficial to health. An 
•eminent German medical writer gave it as his opinion, that the reason why 
Cheltenham was not visited by the cholera in 1832, was in consequence of the 
abundance of trees in the town — the foliage absorbing what was detrimental to 
human existence. 

3861. January, Subscriptions were raised in Cheltenham in aid of the 
ribbon weavers in Coventry. The total amount collected was £1,000. 

1861. January. The weather being very severe the committee for the relief 
of the unemployed poor again solicited subscriptions and set the men at work on 
the public footpaths. About £500 was subscribed, and the number of men 
employed in this manner attained a maximum of 700 a day. The frost extended 
from the 24th of December, 1860, to the 20th January, 1861— a period of five 
weeks. 

1861. January 15. Skating by torchlight by the youths of Cheltenham 
College on Pittville lake. 

1861. January 16. Statements of the congregational collections for 1860, 
published in the "Examiner." The totals were— Christ Church, £1,377 17s. 7d. ; 
Trinity, £1,227 3s. 6|d. ; St. James's, £1077 8s. 10Jd. ; the Parish Churoh 
£2,052 Is. 7id. 

1861. January, Died, Dr. Wm. Conolly, a physician formerly in extensive 
practice in Cheltenham. Died, R. W. Jerrard, Esq., the architect of Christ 
Church, the Queen's Hotel, and Literary Institution, and from whose designs the 
Lansdown and Montpellier estates were laid out for building purposes. 

1861. January. A requisition got up to the Town Commissioners for the 
erection of a Town Hall, for holding benevolent and religious meetings, and for 
other public purposes, at a cost of £5,000. 

1861. January 24. Died, Thomas Tanner, Millbrook-street, Alstone, The 
man was a coal porter, and his death caused a very painful feeling in the town 
from the fact that he was induced to drink himself to death by being '* treated " 
by parties moving in a station of life in which such " larking * was but little 
excusable. 

1861. January 31. Public meeting on the proposed Cheltenham and Bourton 
on-the-Water Railway. The line was to be made by the West Midland Company, 
without calling upon the town to take up shares. Sir William Russell and 
others opposed it, but the meeting decided in its favour by a very large majority. 
On getting into Parliament the bill was thrown out on standing orders. 

1861. Eebruary 8. Death in the midst of a dreadful storm off the coast of 
Ireland, of Captain Boyd, of H.M.S. Ajax, and brother of the Rev. Canon Boyd, 
late incumbent of Christ Church. Captain Boyd, with a number of his men, 
was throwing a rope from the shore to the drowning crew of a vessel, when a 
huge billow eDgulphed him in its recoil, and carried him away before the eyes of 
his companions. The body was recovered after some days and honoured with a 
public funeral, and a tablet to the memory of the deceased has been erected in 
the church which for so many years was hallowed by his brother's ministry in 
Cheltenham. 

1861 Eebruary 18. Serious accident to Edward Griffiths, Esq., Marie Hill, 
while out with the hounds at Queen Wood, 

1861. Eebruary. Mr. Edmund Alleyne, a pupil direct from Cheltenham 
Grammar School obtained a cadetship at the Woolwich examinations. 

1861. Eebruary 20. Married, at the Parish Church, Col. Thompson, son of 
Pearson Thompson, Esq., to Miss Armytage, of Earnley Lodge — the first marriage 
celebrated in this building since the closing of its doors nearly two years ago. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 637 

1861. February 20 and 21. Great hurricane at Cheltenham. The first 
storm broke over the town about eleven o'clock on the night of the 20th, and the 
wind blew with uncontrollable fury until about three o'clock on the morning of 
the 21st. In the morning the town presented a scene of wide-spread desolation. 
Trees were uprooted and broken in every direction ; chimnies blown down ; 
houses partially unroofed; and windows forced in, on Bayshill, Lansdown, and 
all the more exposed situations. In the High -street, shutters were wrenched 
from their fastenings, and whirled several hundred yards through the streets ; and 
many of the shop-keepers were obliged to keep watch and ward over their 
premises until the cessation of the storm or the approach of daylight. In the 
Christ Church district the church itself had several hundred panes of glass 
broken ; a row of houses just finished in the Malvern-road were unroofed, and 
the walls cracked and twisted in every direction. At Aban Court two chimney 
stacks were blown down, as also were two at Suffolk Hall, the bricks of one 
falling completely through the roof and into a bedroom (fortunately unoccupied) 
beneath. Two of the noble elms in the Old Wells' avenue were destroyed, and 
several others much injured. At Hatherley Court a conservatory was carried 
bodily away, and a large number of plants destroyed ; the drawing-room window 
was also blown in and a large mirror hurled from one end of the room to the other. 
At the corner of Henrietta-street stones, to the weight of nearly two tons, were 
carried from the house of Mr. Booth, draper, and hurled into the middle of the 
road. To enumerate the instances of similar damage in other parts of the town 
would occupy too much space ; suffice it to say that chimney stacks were blown 
down, and roofs wholly or partially destroyed in nearly every district. Among 
the more serious casualties may be mentioned the fall of the chimnies at Mr. 
Maillard's, Gloucester-place, by which the bedrooms were almost filled with the 
ruins, and several of the inmates severely injured. In a small cottage near Lord 
Dunalley's a high chimney was toppled over and several tons of debris fell 
through the roof into a bedroom in which four persons were sleeping. The escape 
of the inmates was almost miraculous ; the bricks and beams lay piled up in 
every part of the room higher than the bed itself, yet the bed and the four 
persons sleeping upon it escaped injury. On the following afternoon (the 21st), 
about five o'clock the storm returned in all its fury, but fortunately it only lasted 
about half-an-hour, yet even in this short time many houses which had escaped 
the night before sustained much damage. A large tree in the garden of Mr. 
Tartt, near the College, was snapped off by the wind, and, falling on the con- 
servatory of Miss Yerbury's house adjoining, did damage to the extent of between 
£30 and £40. The shop front of Mr. Waite, chemist, of Ormond Villas, was 
also blown in, and about fifty feet of the high wall between the Royal Hotel yard 
and Liverpool-place was blown down. In the districts around Cheltenham the 
storm raged with equal fury. Several fine trees in Charlton Park were overturned, 
and the same occurred at Mrs. Capel's, Prestbury. At Gloucester, about forty- 
feet of the railway station was blown down, the iron pillars being snapped 
asunder, and the corrugated iron of the roof twisted about like so much paper. 

1861. February 24. Dr. Ryan, Bishop of Mauritius, preached at Christ 
Church. 

1861. March 25. Funeral of the Duchess of Kent, mother of the Queen. 
The bells of the Parish Church rung muffled peals, the letter carriers wore black 
crape on their coats, and the members of the various rifle corps displayed the 
usual sign of military mourning. 

1861. February 26. Statement put forth under this date of the final com- 
pletion of the negociations for the purchase of a house, No. 8, Royal Crescent, 
as a " Parsonage House" to the * Parish Church of St. Mary's, Cheltenham.'* 
The purchase was completed mainly through the instrumentality of T. G. Palmer, 



638 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Esq., No. 1, Royal Crescent, the Honorary Secretary of the Committee formed 
for carrying the object into effect. The movement commenced as early as the 
26th of December, 1857, when it was found almost impossible to procure the 
services of an Incumbent partly from the fact that there was no residence attached 
to the living. To remedy this state of things a committee was formed for the 
purpose of raising subscriptions, and two applications for assistance made to the 
Ecclesiastical Commissioners failed of success. Ultimately Mr. Palmer 
volunteered to obtain a personal interview with the Commissioners to urge th& 
wants and claims of the parish upon them ; and his mission was so successful 
that that body at last consented to grant a sum of £600 towards the purchase, 
provided the parishioners would subscribe £1,200 with the like object. With 
this promise the committee went earnestly to work, and by July, 1858, had 
succeeded in raising £1,148 towards the £1,200 required. With this amount of 
success the committee felt warranted in taking the house, and the new Incumbent, 
the Rev. E. Walker, went into possession as tenant on the 24th of June in thai 
year. On the 30th of December following the committee came to a resolution 
to purchase the house for £1,600 ; and Mr. Palmer was again deputed to proceed 
to London, and in a second interview with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners he 
induced that body to accept £1000 from the parishioners in lieu of the £1,200 
as previously arranged, thus enabling the committee to pay the expenses of 
collection, &c, out of the sum originally required at their hands. At the 
Easter Vestry Meeting in 1859 the title deeds of the property and all the 
documents relating to the affair were handed over to the Parish and placed 
among the parochial records; and on the 24th of June following the new 
et Parsonage House" was finally handed over to the Incumbent free of all 
incumbrance. The total subscription raised in Cheltenham was £1,258 12s., 
making, with interest £24 13s. 2d. and £600 from the Ecclesiastical Commis- 
missioners, a total of £1,883 5s. 2d. Of this was expended for the house itself 
£1,600; for fixtures therein, £25 12s. 6d.; for bookcases, &c, £26; for gas 
fittings, £22 14s. 2d., the whole of which were to be considered as landlord's 
fixtures and to go with the freehold. After these disbursements had been made,, 
and expenses of collection, &c, paid, there still remained a balance of 
£114 Is. 9d., which sum stands invested in the names of Mr. Hartland, Mr* 
Skillicorne, Mr. Palmer, and Mr. Gwinnett in trust, to devote the interest in the 
external preservation and repairs of the house for ever. It should be stated that 
The solicitors, the counsel, and the surveyors of Ecclesiastical Commissioners 
refused to accept any remuneration for their services in respect of the purchase* 
so that the premises were obtained by the parish, as far as those officers were 
concerned, free from all legal charges. The committee through whose instru- 
mentality this desirable addition to the Incumbency was brought about consisted 
of the following gentlemen: — Nathaniel Hartland, Esq., James Agg Gardner, 
Esq., E. Armitage, Esq., R. B. Hudleston, Esq., E. J. Esdaile, Esq., Mr. C. H. 
Hale, W. H. Gwinnett, Esq., R. S. Lingwood, Esq., Mr. H. Davies, Mr. Engall, 
Mr. D. J. Humphris, Wm. Nash Skillicorne, Esq., 9, Queen's Parade, Hon. 
Treasurer, and T. G. Palmer, Esq., 1, Royal Crescent, Hon. Sec. Among the 
subscribers to the fund the following are donors of £5 and upwards. Mrs. 
Capper, £20 ; Rev. W. Cams, £20 ; Dr. College, £25 ; Lord de Saumarez, £15 ; 
E. J. Esdaile, Esq., £20; W. H. Gwinnett, Esq., £50; a friend, per Mr. 
Gwinnett, £25 ; N. Hartland, Esq., £50; Colonel Church Pearce, £25; Mrs, 
Church Pearce, £25 ; Mrs. Westropp, £50 ; Miss Yerbury, £50. The following 
gave £10 each : — E. Armytage, Esq., Mrs. Bailey, Miss Baron, T. Champion, 
Esq., Lady Cromie, Hon. Roper Curzon, Mrs. Freeman, Mr. J. A. Gardner, J. 
Garratt, Esq., Mrs. Gibbons, Mrs. Lardner, E. L. Newman, Esq., T. G. Palmer, 
Esq., Mrs. Sherwood, W. N. Skillicorne, Esq t , S. M., (per Rev. E. Walker), Rev. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 639 

J. Venn, J. Waddingham, Esq., Miss Williams. The following gave £5 each .— 
Dr. Ackworth, Miss Aldridge, Rev. E. Anriol, A. K. Baker, Esq., Mrs. BaU, Mrs. 
Barry, Miss G. Raymond Barker, Miss S. F. F. Bedford, J. Beraan, Esq., the 
Misses Braun, J Bubb, Esq., T. P. W. Butt, Esq., W. Buckle, Esq., Miss 
Carrington, Mrs. Chelver, Mr. J. B. Churchill, Miss Clarkson, C. T. Cooke, Esq., 
Mr. Engall, Rev. C. Evans, W. Farquharson, Esq , Miss Finlay. J. Fisher, Esq., 
T. Fothergill, Esq., Miss Fothergill, a Friend, per D. J. Humphris, Esq., W. 
Gardner, Esq . Mrs. Grant, J. Graves, Esq., Mrs. Graves, W. Gyde, Esq., Mr. 
C.H. Hale, VV. Hazell, Esq,, W. H. Henney, Esq., Dr. Hooper, R. B. Huddle- 
ston, Esq., Mr. J Humphris, Mr. D. J. Humphris, R. Jupp, Esq., Dr. Ker, G. 
Law, Esq., R. S. Lingwood, Esq., Mrs. Newell, Mrs. Parr, Mrs. G. Royds, G. 
Russell, Esq., Rev. J. T. C. Saunders, Col, Schreiber, Messrs. Shirer and Sons, 
Miss Spencer, VV. W. Squire, Esq., W. M. Tartt, Esq., A. H. Tonge, Esq., C. H. 
Velley, E>q., Lieut, Col. Young, W. F. Young, Esq., and Mr. E. J. Young. The 
remainder was made up in smaller sum3. The committee, at their final meeting 
in December 1860, accorded their cordial thanks to their treasurer, Mr. Skillicorne, 
and also to their secretary, Mr. Palmer, "for his great labour and assistance ia 
promoting the object at length so happily attained. ,, Mr. Palmer also received 
from the Rev. E. Walker as an appropriate acknowlegement of his exertions on the 
occasion, a very handsome copy of the Bible, the cover surmounted with a silver 
shield bearing the following inscription : — "Presented to T. G. Palmer, Esq., in 
grateful recognition, and as an affectionate memorial, of his kind and unwearied 
labours as honorary secretary to the committee for securing a Parsonage House 
for the Parish of Cheltenham, St. Mary's. June 24th, 1859." The location of 
the Parsonage House in the Royal Crescent tends, in some respects, to revive old 
associations, for it was at No. 15 in the same crescent that Mr. Jarvis, a former 
Incumbent, resided for many years. Mr. Jarvis was residing here in 1821 when 
Mr. Denman (afterwards Lord Chief Justice) one of the counsel for Queen 
Caroline, visited Cheltenham, on which occasion the Incumbent (being a King 
George's man) refused the bells to be rung. The populace, however, met Mr. 
Denman at Charlton Kings, and, taking his horses from the carriage, dragged him 
in triumph through the town to his lodgings at No. 5, Crescent. From the 
balcony of this house he addressed the people for three quarters of an hour and 
the mob then proceeded to the church, and, arming themselves with weapons 
from a stone yard on the site of the present Public Offices, burst open the belfry 
door and regaled their visitor with a merry peal. On the same evening the mob 
put out the street lights and afterwards attacked Mr. Jems' s house, breaking the 
windows and doing other damage. The Royal Crescent was built about the year 
1809, on the site then known as the Church Mead. Shortly before the houses 
were finished No. 5 (belonging to the grandfather of Messrs, Jessop, of the 
avaries) caught fire through the ignition of some carpenters' shavings, and our 
informant well remembers an old woman, named Fletcher, standing up to her 
middle in a pond, which stood in the Meads on the spot now occupied by Rhodes's 
livery stables, and handing buckets of water to the firemen. 

1861. February 29. Dexterous robbery of a cash-box and about £30 from 
Messrs. Furber and Sons, jewellers, Montpellier Walk. The thieves made them- 
selves aware where the cash-box was kept, and, while an accomplice drove up in a 
fly and called Mr. Furber out of the shop, they made off with the box and its 
contents. They were cleverly traced to Gloucester and Bristol and apprehended, 
and at their trial at Gloucester were each sentenced to six years penal servitude. 

1861. March 5. Site of the old Cheltenham Theatre sold by auction, by 
Messrs. Engall and Sanders, for £720. The purchaser was Mr. Sheepway, butcher. 
1861 March 8. Re-opening of the Parish Church with sermons by the Rev. 
E. Walker, Incumbent. 



640 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1861. April. News arrived of the famine in India. A subscription was 
immediately opened in Cheltenham, which resulted in donations to the amount 
of £799 6s. 6d. 

1861. April 8. Census of the parish taken. Families, 9,320 ; inhabited 
houses, 7,013 ; uninhabited houses, 223; building, 39 ; males, 16,476; females 
23,114 ; total 39,500. Out parishes included in the Cheltenham Union, Charlton 
Kings, 3,443; Prestbury, 1,297; Leckhampton, 2,522; Badgworth, 1,038; 
Shurdington, 16*; Up-Hatherley, 68; Uckington, 195; Swindon, 227; 
Cubberley, 343 ; Cowley, 311; Great Witcomb, 165; Staverton, 315; total in 
the Union, 49,688. The houses returned as uninhabited were not so in reality. 
They were so returned by direction of the census office, with a special note, that 
they were occupied during the day and rated to the poor, but not slept in, the 
owners having residences in adjoining parishes. The number of positively un- 
occupied houses in the ^town was remarkably small and belonged to the class* 
" to let." 

1861. April 15. A telegram received at Thirlestone Hall, announcing the 
death of the Baron de Stenbock, which took place unexpectedly during his 
absence in Germany, at the early age of 22 years. 

1861. April 16. Meeting at the Queen's Hotel to form a limited liability 
company, for the purchase of the Montpellier Gardens. The purchase was com- 
pleted in the November following. 

1861. April 18. Final hearing in the House of Lords of the appeal "Newton 
v. Sir Cornwallis Ricketts." The appellant Newton was heard by their lord- 
ships for several hours, and immediately on the conclusion of his speech the lords, 
without calling upon the counsel for the respondent, dismissed the appeal. 

1861. April 18. Complimentary dinner to Cregoe Colmore, Esq., master of 
the Fox Hounds, at the Plough Hotel. Sir Maurice Berkeley, president. 

1861. April 23. Accident to Mr. Frederick Marshall at the Beckford races. 
On putting his horse at a fence Mr. Marshall was thrown, and had his leg broken 
by a kick. Mr, Marshall was brought home in Mr. Colmore's break, and on some 
one sympathising with him on the sad mishap he very pluckily exclaimed, " Well, 
never mind ; I'm insured in the accidental !" 

1861. May 1. Prospectus first published in the "Examiner" of the East 
Gloucestershire Railway Company. The history of this project, as far as it ha* 
yet gone, may be thus stated. The line was designed to run from Cheltenham 
to Dowdeswell, and thence to fork off — one branch on the narrow guage running 
north-east to Bourton-on-the- Water, and the other on the broad- guage south- 
east to Farringdon. The distance from Cheltenham to London would thus be 
reduced to 101 miles. The mode of passing through the town was from the 
present line near Malvern Road by a tunnel under Bayshili, and along the road 
by Queen's Parade, through the Montpellier Gardens, under the Bath Road, and 
thence on a slight embankment to the proposed station in Sandford Fields. On 
the 22nd of October the scheme was brought before a very large public meeting 
at the Assembly Rooms, which pronounced almost unanimously in its favour, and 
a large number of shares were taken up in Cheltenham and the district. Parties 
whose property was adjacent to the proposed tunnel regarded the scheme with 
serious misgiving ; a powerful opposition was organised, but on the Bill going 
before the Commons Committee in March, 1862, the preamble was declared* 
to be proved. The opponents of the line, however, persevered with their 
opposition in the Lords, where after a fortnight's hearing they were more 
successful ; the Lords' Committee throwing out so much of the Bill as related to 
the town approaches, and only granting those portions of it between Dowdeswell 
and Bourton and Farringdon. In the autumn of 1862, the promoters resolved 
to apply to Parliament for leave to postpone any further prosecution of the 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 641 

project until the year 1864, and a " Suspension" Bill was agreed to be intro- 
duced for that purpose in the session of 1863. But the Great Western 
Company, in February, in consequence of the hostility to the scheme on the part 
of their shareholders, consented to its final abandonment. We are thus enabled 
to describe with certainty the ultimate fate of this last attempt to devise an 
unobjectionable railway route through the town of Cheltenham. 

1861. May. Negotiations for the purchase of the " Rectory" of 
Cheltenham of Messrs. Newman and Gwinnett by Simeon's Trustees, the patrons 
of the living. The negotiations were afterwards successfully completed, and the 
Minister of the Parish is henceforth the "Rector," instead of "Incumbent" and 
Terpetual Curate." 

1861. May 12. Death of James Basevi, Esq., aged 77 years. 

1861. May 28. Literary Institution building sold by auction to Mr. E. L. 
Griffiths for £2,500. 

1861. June 5. First Chapter of this "History of Cheltenham," from the 
pen of Mr. Goding, appeared in the " Examiner" of this date. 

1861. June 12. Gold "siege piece" of Charles I. found in a brick-field at 
Charlton Kings. 

1861, June 17, 18, and 19. Cricket match between the United All England 
Eleven and Twenty Present and Old Pupils of Cheltenham College. The 
Collegians came off victorious iu one innings, their score being 26i against two 
scores of the " United" of 129 and 48 

1861. June 18. Distribution of prizes at Cheltenham College. At the 
meeting of proprietors the same day a discussion took place, and complaints 
were made which ultimately resulted m the resignation of the Rev. H. Highton, 
Head Master, and a radical change in the constitution of the governing body of 
the College. 

1861. July 1. Presentation of a gold watch, value 35 guineas, and a purse 
of 30 sovereigns to Mr. Michael William Gore, now and for many years past 
guaid on the Great Western Railway. 

1861. July. Visit to Cheltenham of the Dean of Carlisle. On Sunday, 
June 30, the Dean preached in Christ Church in the morning, and in the Parish 
Church in the evening; and on Tuesday evening, July 2nd, he addressed a 
temperance lecture to a very large auditory, at the Assembly Rooms. 

1861. July 3. Blondin went through Jiis performance at the Montpellier 
Gadtns, in the presence of 3,000 spectators. 

1861. July 22. The Barony of Berkeley. The London Times of this date 
contains the following semi-official announcement : — " We understand that it is 
the intention of Her Majesty, by the advice of her responsible Ministers, to 
create Admiral the Right Hon. Sir Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley a Peer, by 
the title of Baron Berkeley of Berkeley Castle." The " Examiner" of the 
following Wednesday says — "There are very few men, whatever their political 
opinions may be, who will fail to regard this announcement with feelings of satis- 
faction. The personal character of the new Baron, the services he has rendered 
to his country, and the peculiar circumstances winch recommend him to the 
favourable consideration of his Sovereign, all combine to render this public 
recognition of his claims to a seat in the House of Lords peculiarly gratifying. 
Sir Maurice Berkeley will take his seat in that House not only with the prestige 
of past services, but as the acknowledged head of a great historical family. The 
eruel wrong which has been done to that family by placing the Earldom of 
Berkeley so long in abeyance, will now have been in some measure redressed. 
Sir Maurice, although unsuccessful in his claims to the Barony by ' feudal tenure, 
still obtains the object of his ambition by receiving a patent of nobility from the 
hands of Her Majesty, under the title of ' Baron Berkeley of Berkeley Castle' 



642 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

Never, surely, was a public honour more honourably earned or more worthily 
bestowed." [It was afterwards arranged that the new title should be Baron 
Pitzhardinge instead of Baron Berkeley. On Nov. 27th, when the noble Lord 
visited Cheltenham for the first time since his elevation to the Peerage, a con- 
gratulatory address was presented to him from the inhabitants ; a compliment in 
which men of all political parties cordially united.] 

186L July. Appointment of Mr. Horsley as county medical analyst. The 
Chairman at the Quarter Sessions reported that "at the last session Mr. Horsley 
was conditionally appointed county analyst, under the Adulteration of Food Act. 
The chairman now moved his permanent appointment, and stated that a suitable 
laboratory had been constructed at the police-station at Cheltenham. 

1861. August 28. Death of Mrs. Capper, relict of Robert Capper, Esq. J.P., 
at her residence, Suffolk Lawn, in her 75th year. 

1861. September 5. Sale of the Boddington Manor and Withy Bridge 
estates, by Mr. T. Lewis, at the Plough. Of 1,100 acres offered, the portions sold 
and the prices realised were as follows : — Of the Boddington estates, about 295 
acres sold, realizmg £14,125, or about £48 per acre. The Withy-bridge, of 150 
acres, realized £8,325, or about £55 per acre. The total sold being 445 acres, the 
sum realized £22,450, and the average price per acre within a fraction of £50. 

1861. October. "Pratt's" coach, which had run between Cheltenham and 
Malvern for 40 years, was this month beaten by the railway "off the road." 

1861. October. Establishment of the " Cheltenham Ophthalmic Hospital : 
Dr. College, consulting physician; Walter Jessop, juu., Esq., surgeon. 

1861. November. Tablet to the memory of the late G. Russell, Esq., erected 
in the chancel of the Parish Church, in which the deceased gentleman was for 
many years a constant attendant. 

1861. Nov. 10. Died, at his residence, Promenade, Joseph Wilkinson, Esq., 
an active member of the Christ Church congregation, and an intimate friend of 
the late Incumbent, the Rev. Canon Boyd. 

1861. November 13. Stormy meeting of the proprietors of Cheltenham 
College. The resolutions come to were considered adverse to the Directors, and 
on the following day the Board met and resolved to resign. 

1861. November 22. Died, at Beaufort Villas, Major-General Derinzey. 
He went through the Peninsular campaigns, was severely wounded through both 
knees at Coruuna, was run through the body and left for dead at the Battle of 
Neville; he was twice wounded, musket ball in left arm, and by a splinter of a 
shell in the chest, at the Battle of Toulouse, but did not quit the field. He 
received for his services the Gold Medal for Toulouse, and the Silver War Medal 
and nine Clasps," 

1861. November 24. Died at Brighton, aged 78, Captain David Latimer 
St. Clair, of Staverton Court, and for many years a J. P. for this district. He 
entered the navy in 1797, and saw much active service, during which he was a 
companion and fellow voyager of Sir James Ross, the celebrated Artie navigator, 
and who was a frequent visitor to the town. The last occasion upon which Sir 
James Ross visited Cheltenham was during the meeting of the British Associa- 
tion, in 1856, and he was then the guest of Capt. St. Clair. Sir James was at 
that time in a declining state of health, and prior to his return home (where he 
shortly afterwards died) presented to his host, in token of their many years 
friendship, two sketches, taken by himself, representing engagements in which 
they both took part— the first, a frigate action, and the second, the capture 
and destruction of a three-decker in the Straits of Gibraltar. Captain St. Clair 
was connected with a very ancient family, claiming descent from Waldernly, 
Compte de St. Clair, cousin german of William the Conqueror and common 
ancestor of Lord St. Clair and the Earls of Rosslyn and Caithness. He married 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 643 

the daughter of J. Earhill, Esq., of Chichester, (tutor to H. R. H. the late Duke 
of Kent), and grand-daughter of Sir T. Wilson, Knight. "Examiner," Nov. 27. 

1861. November 25. Death under most distressing circumstances of Mrs. 
Daniel Alder, of Imperial Circus. Mrs. Alder was a lady well known and 
respected, her husband had been honourably known as a tradesman for 40 years, 
yet while his wife was lying dead in the house, and himself, to all appearance, on 
the point of death, his creditors forced him into the Bankruptcy Court — a pro- 
ceeding which evoked an amount of sympathy on behalf of the family such as is 
rarely witnessed. Mr. Alder himself was a great sufferer up to the time of his 
decease, which took place in January, 1863. 

1861. November 25 Sale of the block of property from Mr. Harpin's, 
108, High Street, to Mr. Yimpany's, 6, Winchcomb Street. The total rental was 
about £210 per annum, and after a spirited competition, the whole was bought by 
Mr. W. S. Davis for £3,340. 

1861. December 4. The "Examiner" of this date records the obituary o 
Thomas Pilkington, Esq., Chairman of the Bench of Magistrates, which toof 
place Nov. 27, aged 82 ; of Mrs. Martin, wife of Mr. Martin, jeweller, aged 78k 
and ot Mr. Erederick Williams, aged 31. Speaking of Mr. Pilkington, th; 
notice says: — Cl We feel, while making this announcement, that it affords ne 
subject for mere posthumous eulogy. During a residence of more than a quarteo 
of a century in Cheltenham Mr. Pilkington has endeared himself to the hearts or 
thousands amongst us by the force of his character, the integrity of hif 
principles, by the kindliness of his disposition, by his conduct as a inagistrats 
and a private citizen, and by unnumbered acts of private and public munificencee 
Of his loss it may be truly said that 

" Take him for all in all, 
We ne'er shall look upon his like again ;" 

and the public funeral, which is this day accorded to his remains, will be no mere 
idle pageant, but the " outward and visible sign" of that deep sorrow at his loss 
which pervades the hearts of every class of his fellow-townsmen." 

1861. December 9. Sudden death of Rowley Young Lloyd, Esq., 
barrister, of Bibury Cottage. He was a son of the late Admiral Lloyd ; he had 
listened to the funeral sermon on the late Mr. Pilkington, at St. John's, on 
Sunday, and on the following afternoon, while walking in his garden, was seized 
with a fit and suddenly expired. 

1861. December 15. News received in Cheltenham of the unexpected death 
of the Prince Consort. The telegram was posted at the " Examiner" Office as the 
people were going to morning service, and to most of whom this was the first 
and sudden intimation of the melancholy event. 

1861. December 19. W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., unanimously elected Chairman 
of the Cheltenham Bench of Magistrates. 

1861. December 16. Sudden illness, from the bursting of a blood vessel on the 
lungs, of Mr. William Boodle, the well-known solicitor of this town. Mr. 
Boodle appeared to be on the point of death for several weeks; but by the aid 
of a good constitution, the unremitting care of his family, and the skill of his 
three medical attendants — Dr. College, Dr. Cooke, and Mr. Charles Gregory- 
he was ultimately restored to his usual health. 

1861. December 30. Presentation of a copy of Patrick and Lowth's Commen- 
tary to Rev. Gordon Calthrop, by the working men of the Trinity district. 

1862. January 1st. Dense fog in Cheltenham. Mr. Attewell, butcher, 
going in his gig to Charlton Kings, drove into a deep pond. Mr. Attewell was 
got out without serious injury, but the horse was drowned. 

1862. January 2. Meeting at the Town Hall, convened by Mr. Parsonage 



644 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

High Bailff, to present an address of condolence to her Majesty on her recent 
bereavement. 

1862. January 8. Death of the Hon. Admiral Jones, uncle to Lord Ranelagh, 
aged 74. He entered the navy in 1790, and served in every part of the world up 
to the peace of 1814. 

1862. January. Glover's Oxford Mail " the last of the coaches," was this 
month taken off the road. 

1862. January 13. Robbery of a cash box containing £80, from a drawer in 
the bedroom of Mr. Lovack, silversmith, Montpellier Walk. The box was after- 
wards found in a shrubbery at Lansdown, but the money was never recovered. 

1862. January 17. Dreadful explosion at Hartley Collery. 220 men and 
lads w r ere killed, ind 103 widows, 207 children, and 47 others deprived of their 
husbands, fathers or protectors. A subscription list was opened in Cheltenham, 
and £534 subscribed, of which sum £209 was collected by Mr. John Russell. 

1862. January. The public gas. lamps extended from Cheltenham to 
Leckhampton; the event was celebrated by a public dinner of the inhabitants on 
the night it was first illuminated. The rector of Leckhampton, the Rev. C.B. 
Trye, presided, and upwards of 400 parishioners were present. 

1862. February 3. Sudden death of Dr. G. Lamb at his residence, 16, 
Suffolk-square, aged 76. He was formerly Physician General to the Bengal 
Army, and since his residence in Cheltenham, had been a liberal contributor to 
every call of public or private charity. Dr. Lamb was a member of the Presby- 
terian congregation, and had partaken of the sacrament at tie hands of Dr. Steel 
on the day preceding his death : at which time he appeared in his usual health. 

1862. February 5. Adjourned meeting of proprietors of Cheltenham 
College. The meeting resolved to do away with the present government by a 
Board of Directors, and to vest the future management of the College in a 
" Council " consisting of a visitor, 10 life members, and 12 proprietary members. 

1862. February 8. Consecration of St. Mark's Church. The church 
accommodates 517 persons, 267 of the sittings being free. The district extends 
over 2,000 acres. The Incumbent, the Rev. G. P. Griffiths, contributed the 
munificent sum of £500 towards the building, and a like sum towards the 
endowment fund. Mr. Griffiths has also erected a handsome Parsonage House, 
and a residence for the curate in the neighbourhood of the church. 

1862. February 11 . Farewell tea meeting to the Rev, Dr. Steel at the 
Presbyterian Church on his departure to the pastorate of a church in New South 
"Wales. 

1862. February. Accounts received from India of the presentation of the 
Victoria Cross to Lieut.-Col. Browne, of the 2nd Punjaub Cavalry, an officer 
well-known in Cheltenham. 

1862. March 22. First election of Commissioners for the district of Charlton 
Kings. The successful candidates were Sir Wm. Russell, Bart., and Messrs. J. 
Freeman, W. Havtkes, C. C. Higgs, S. H. Gael, H. J. Humphris, W. Jordon, C. 
Burgess, W.Turk, J. Rogers, J. Villar, and N. Hartland, Esq. 

1862. March. Return of an old resident. Dr. Murley, a physician formerly in 
extensive practice here, ---and now retired and devoting his time and energies to 
the education of the blind — has again taken up his residence in Cheltenham* 
Mr. Murley and another of our old inhabitants, Mr. Gyde, are stated to be the 
only two survivors of the committee of the first Bible Society established in 
Cheltenham during the Incumbency of the Rev. C. Jervis in 1821. To show 
how " great events from little causes spring," it may be interesting to mention 
that this " Auxiliary " society which Mr. Gyde and Mr. Murley assisted to found 
but 30 years ago, has now grown into proportions which none of the originators 
perhaps ever contemplated. The Cheltenham Auxiliary Bible Society has now 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 645 

a spacious depot at No. 4, Clarence-street ; and the Depositary. Mr. W. Witchell, 
informs us that at this establishment aloue, the sale of bibles aod portions during 
the past S years has averaged uearly 4000 copies per annum, while for the year 
1862, the sale was 4,950 copies. 

1862. March. Dr. Eves, senior physician to the Cheltenham Hospital, 
resigned his appointment, after a professional connection with the institution of 
30 years duration. The Board received the a inouucement of his resignation 
with deep regret, and expressed a hope that he would accept the office of consult- 
ing surgeon. 

1862. March. In the first report of the Cheltenham Ophthalmic Infirmary it 
was stated that since the end of October last 200 patients had been under treat- 
ment, and that two operations for cataract had been successfully performed ; the 
patients, one aged 77 and the other 66 having left the hospital restored to sight. 

1862. March. Longevity in Cheltenham. Duriug the past month an unusual 
number of aged persons have died in Cheltenham, no less than thirteen having 
been interred in our parish cemetery above 70 years of age. Of this number, 
eleven had passed their 7oth year, seven had exceeded 80, four had passed 85, 
one had readied 99, and one died at 103. Their united ages makes a total of 
1071 years, or an average of 82 years to each person. These statistics are 
such as few towns in England of similar size to Cheltenham can boast.— 
" Examiner," April 2. 

1862. April 9. Terrible accident at Thackwell's brickyard. A man named 
Charles Luker got his arm in the machine, and, attracted by his screams, another, 
man, named Colley rushed to the spot, and, in his endeavours to save his companion, 
had the fingers of one hand crushed, and the fingers of the other cut off, and 
dragged completely from the haud. Mrs. Thackwell, who happened to be near, 
with great presence of mind applied the bre^k, and so, no doubt, saved the poor 
fellows irom still more serious injuries. The "Examiner" haviug suggested a 
subscription for the man Colley, Mr. Russell opened a book for this purpose, 
aud a sum of £22 was thus obtained for his benefit. 

1862. April. The new Council of Cheltenham College advertised for a 
Principal — the emoluments being stated at £1,600 a-year. 

1862. April 26. At the College Athletic sports, a serious accident occurred 
to one of the pupils, Mr. Laurence Garnett. He was vaulting with the pole, and 
had already topped a height of 7ft. llim wheu, on the next rise, his p >le broke 
short off, and, falling on his back, he sustained so severe an injury to the spine 
that, for some time his life was despaired of. 

1862. May 13. Sudden death of Sir Joseph Leeds, at his residence, 
4, Segrave Place, Pittville. Sir Joseph retired to rest in his usual health, but, 
on Lady Leeds awaking in the morning, she found her husband lying by her 
side a corpse. 

1862. May 18. The Yeomanry, to the number of 360, attended divine 
service at the Parish Church. Among the officers present were the Duke of 
Beaufort (accompanied by the Duchess), Sir W. Codrington, M.P., Barwick 
Baker, Esq. (accompauied by his lady), Capt. Baker, Hugh Ow«n, E^q , and 
several others. At the conclusion of the service, the men formed in the church- 
yard, and thence, with the Duke and Duchess at their head, inarched to the 
Plough Hotel, to the music of the b:iud 

1862. May 24. Election of the Rev. A. Barry, M.A., Head Master of the 
Leeds Grammar School, to the Principalship of Cheltenham College. 

1862. May 31. Grand fete champetre at Mrs. Craven's, Brockworth Park. 

1862. June. Proposal for a new Church for Charlton Kings, It was stated 
that C. C. Higgs, Esq , had offered a site at the junction of the upper and lower 
London roads, and also a donation of £1.000 towards the building. 



646 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

1862. June 21. Death of Mr. Walter Jessop, Surgeon, at his residence 
4, Royal Crescent. Mr. Jessop, though a young man, had attained to great 
eminence in his profession. He had a large and rapidly increasing practice, and 
his premature death, after but a few clays' illness, created a very painful sensation 
throughout the town. 

1862. June 29. Opening of Earl Ellenborough's restored Norman chapel 
at South am. 

1862. July 3. Death of Ladv Ellen Eifzallen Howard, step-daughter of the 
late Craven E. Berkeley, M.P. The deceased lady's name obtained a considerable 
prominency some years ago, while Miss Augusta Talbot, in connexion with her 
alleged detention in a nunnery against her wishes. 

1862. July 9. Town Commissioners unanimously selected the design of Mr. 
Knight, architect, of this town, for the buildings at the new Cemetery. There 
were upwards of twenty competitors. 

1862. July 15. J. Davies, Esq., Surgeon -Major, H.P., elected to the Surgeoncy 
of the Cheltenham Eye Infirmary, in the room of the late Walter Jessop, Esq. 

1862. July 21. Extroardinary accident to Cheltenham Volunteers. The 
Battalion was exercising in a field near Clarence Square, when some horses, con- 
fined in a shed in their rear, suddenly broke loose, and, rushing through the 
ranks, knocked down and severely injured several of the men. 

1862. July 22. Public opening of the new rifle range at the Seven 
Springs. 

JF 1862. July 23. Mr. G. Howe, formerly of Cheltenham, awarded a medal at 
the Great Exhibition for his " faithful and beautiful delineations of the country, 
workings, and other relations of the Australian gold fields." Mr. Howe was the 
only artist to whom a medal was awarded at this Exhibition. 

1862. July 23. Third annual inspection of the Cheltenham Battalion of 
Volunteers, at Cfcarlton Kings. The number attending was 225 of all ranks. 

1862. July 30. Authorization in the London Gazette to Sir John Maxwell 
Steele, Bart.,*J.P. for this county, to take and use the surname of Graves in 
addition to that of Steele. 

1862. July. Order in Council erecting the district of St. Mark's, Cheltenham, 
into a separate. ecclesiastical district, and authorizing the celebration of marriages, 
churchings, and baptisms in the new church. 

1862. August 1J. Obituary. We record this week, with deep regret, the 
death of Mrs. G. E. Williams, of 6, Royal Crescent. The deceased lady had 
been ailing for some months past, and we believe her death, which took place on 
Monday evening, arose from a general break-up of the system, rather than from 
any specific malady. To Mr. Williams himself, in the shattered state of his own 
health, the loss of his devoted and affectionate partner must be an irreparable 
calamity ; and in recording the event we will only add that the warm sympathies 
of the public, by whom he is so well known and respected, will be cordially 
extended to him in this his sad bereavement. — "Examiner," August 13, 

1862. August. An anonymous donor, under the signature of W. S., paid 
through Mr. T. B. Goddard, Manager of the Gloucestershire Bank, the sum of 
£150 to the credit of the Cheltenham Hospital 

1862. August 26. Excursion of the children of the Baker-street schools and 
their friends, to the number of 600, to Tortworth Park, the seat of Earl Ducie, 
Lord Lieutenant of the county. 

1862. September. Erom Wednesday morning, the 27th of August, to- 

Tuesday evening, the 2nd of September — seven days — Mr. Bennett, the Registrar 

for the'Parish of Cheltenham, was only called upon to make an entry of one 

death out of a population of 40,000 souls ! 

1862. September 5. Sir Wm. Russell, Bart., of the 14th Dragoon Guards, 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 647 

was the reviewing officer of the Northumberland and Newcastle Yeomanry 
Cavalry at their annual inspection this day. 

1862. September 7. Mrs. Vaile, wife of Mr. Vaile, No. 2, Midland -terrace, 
seized with a fit during Divine service, at St. Mark's Church, and died shortly 
after being removed home. 

1862. September 8. Earl Elleuborough. Our neighbour, the noble Lord of 
Southam, completed his 72nd year on Monday last, having been born September 
8, 1790. We are pleased to say that we see the respected Peer pass through our 
town daily. He appears in excellent health. — "Examiner," Sept. 10. 

1862. September. News received of the arrival at Sydney, on the 26th of 
June, of Dr. Steel, late minister of the Cheltenham Presbyterian Church. The 
Rev. gentlemau was inducted to the pastoral charge of Macquarie Street Free 
Church, Syduey, on the 17th July, and on the following day met his frieuds at a 
tea party, at which 600 were present, including sixteen ministers of various 
denominations. 

1862. September 17. The " Examiner" of this date says :— " Of the twelve 
adult deaths occurring in this town, as recorded in our obituary to-day, eight 
occurred between the ages of 66 and 82, giving an average duration of life of 
exactly 77 years ! Tiie fact speaks well for the proverbial healthiness of 
Cheltenham and its neighbourhood, 

1862. September 22. Curious phenomena at the " Examiuer" Office. A letter 
file being hung casually on a nail in the printing office it commenced a regular 
pendulum movement, which has continued night and day up to the present time 
(February, 1863). Numbers of persons have visited the office to witness the 
phenomenon, and among them many scientific men : but no satisfactory solution 
has ever been arrived at. If the file is removed and again re-hung, and placed 
quite still, it immediately commences its vibratory movement, and in a few 
minutes is again in full awing. The movement is perfectly steady and regular, 
and the beats as near as possible sixty to the minute. 

1862. September 28. Collections at Christ Church this day in aid of the 
Distressed Operatives in the Cotton Districts amounted to the large sum of £245. 
This collection, large as it is, is not so large as that once contributed by a 
Cheltenham congregation, for <\ correspondent of the " Examiner" instances the 
fact that in St. James's Church, on the 14th February, 1847, the collection in 
aid of the starving Irish amounted to £320 9s. 3Jd., after one sermon by the 
K-ev. F. D. Gilby. 

1862. September. Serious illness of Mr. Dangerfield, Borough Surveyor. 
The nature of the illness was such as to require a total cessation from all business 
engagements ; and Mr. Dangerfield having sent in his resignation, the 
Commissioners elected Mr. D. J. Huraphris to fill the vacancy, on the 
understanding that should Mr. Dangerfield recover within a reasonable time, 
the office would again be declared vacant with a view to his re-election. Public 
sympathy was very largely manifested for the affliction which had befallen Mr. 
Dangerfield and his family : his character being such as to win the general 
esteem of his fellow- townsmen. 

1862. October 19. A severe storm of wind in Cheltenham, blowing down 
two of the large elms in the Old Wells, and inflicting considerable damage in 
other parts of the town. While the storm was at its height, four wild swans 
were observed to settle on the grounds of J. T. Stewart, Esq., Fullwood Park; 
one of them was secured, but the others succeeded in making their escape. 

1862. October 20. Death of the Right Hon. Lord Sherborne, aged 83. 

1862. October 21. Death of Mr. John Bubo, solicitor, of this town, aged 
66. Mr. Bubb was a member of the Board of Commissioners, and through a 
long professional and public life had secured in a remarkable manner the 



648 history or Cheltenham. 

confidence of his clients, the respect of the public, and the warm attachment of 
his family and friends. 

1862. October 21. Sale of the Manor of Cheltenham, at the Auction Mart, 
London. The u Examiner" says . — " The Manor, with the whole of the rights 
and property appertaining to it, was first put up in one lot, hut met with no offer. 
Lot 1, comprising the Manor, ' with all royalties, courts leet, courts baron, rents, 
heriots, fines, and other rights and other privileges thereto belonging,' together 
with the steward's fees and the manor office was then offered, but was ' not sold* 
at £23,000, beyond which there was no advance. Lot 2, the market, &c, was 
also ' not sold' at. £4000. Lot 3, a portion of Charlton common, was knocked 
down to Sir Wil'iam Russell for £1,500. Lot 4, No 6, Berkeley Place, was 
purchased for £1000. Lot 5, 148, High Street, was bought for the present 
tenant, Mr. Sims, by Mr. Downing, at £1,800 ; and lot 6, coach-houses, stables, 
&c, in Witcomb Place, was sold for £100. It will thus be seen that only £4,400 
worth of the property has been sold, the major portion of it still remaining in 
the hands of the present owners." 

1862. October 25. Volunteer meeting at the Assembly Rooms for the 
presentation of four silver cups, given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber, to the 
successful competitors among the Cheltenham Battalion. It was stated in the 
" Examiner" of the 29th that a cadet corps had been formed among the pupils of 
Cheltenham College, with a muster roll to commence with of 100 members. 

1862. November 4. Sale by Engall and Sanders of the business premises of 
Messrs. Malvern, brush makers, High Street. Mr. W. F. George was the 
purchaser at the very high price of £2,210. 

1862. November. Manor of Cheltenham. "We hear from good authority 
that the Manor has been at length sold by private treaty. Several parties are 
stated to have been in negotiation with the vendors j and the rumour is that the 
actual purchaser is Mr. Robert Sole Lingwood. and that the price given is 
£33,000.—" Examiner," November 12 

1862. November 15. Ueaih of T. Williams, Esq., solicitor, aged 62. 

1862. November 21. Presentation of a handsome silver vase to Captain 
Iredell, to commemorate his services as one of the founders, and for twenty-two 
years a director, of Cheltenham College. " The number of pupils on Captain 
Iredell's retirement was 614." 

1862. November 27. Wedding festivities at Charlton Kings on the marriage 
of Captain St. Clair Eord with Miss Ellen Jane Potter, of East Court. 

1862. December 5. The new Lord of the Manor, Mr. Lingwood, wrote to 
the Commissioners offering to sell to the town the Market Arcade, the Market 
House and tolls, for the sum of £10,000, the amount to be levied by a small rate 
extending over a period of thirty years. The offer was referred to a committee. 

1862. December 14. Alarm of fire at the Assembly Rooms. The fire 
occurred through the ignition of a beam running into one of the chimnies ; it 
was extinguished with only slight damage. 

1862. December 14. Eatal accident to Mr. Stewart Thompson while out 
with the Cotswold hounds. The horse fell and threw his rider, inflicting, at the 
same time, a kick on the back part of the head, which fractured the base of his 
skull. 

1862. December 15. Death of the Rev. J. Smith, for many years minister of 
Cambray Chapel. 

1862. December 16. Enquiry by Mr. Ranger, by order of the Home Office, 
into the question of the proposed removal of a fly stand to Imperial Circus. Mr. 
Ranger reported in favour of the removal. 

1862. December 16. Performance at the Old Wells by the gentlemen 
amateurs, for the benefit of the Lancashire operatives. 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 649 

1862. December 17. Advertisement in the " Examiner " of the formation of 
a junior department in connection with Cheltenham College. 

1862. December 17. Announcement of an intended marriage between the 
Countess of Guilford, widow of the late earl, and Lettsom Elliott, Esq., formerly 
of Cheltenham. 

1862. December. The Rev. Cannon Boyd offered a stall in Durham Cathedral 
value £1,200 per annum, which offer was subsequently declined. 

1862. December. Mr. E. Alleyne, late a pupil at the Grammar School, after 
taking first honours at Woolwich received his commission as Lieutenant in the 
Royal Engineers. 

1862. December 17. The pupils of the Grammar School presented a silver 
ink-stand to Mons. Tiessett, their French master on his departure for Germany. 

1862. December. Mr. G. H. Williams appointed distributor ot stamps for 
Cheltenham in the room of his father, the late T. Williams, Esq., solicitor. 

1862. December 20. Marriage at St. Luke's Church between S. H. Barton, 
Esq., and Miss Erobisher, daughter of Major Enibisher, J. P., D.L. 

1862. December 28. The Cheltenham Battalion of Volunteers attended, 
divine service at the College Chapel. The sermon was preached by the Rev. T. 
P. Boultbee. 

1862. December. Cambridge Law Tripo. — Mr. Erancillion, of; Trinity Hall 
and son of J. Eraucillon, Esq., our respected County Court Judge, is the first- 
class man in the Cambridge Law Tripo, 1862. 

1862. December. Munificence of the Queen. — A lady residing at Pittville 
has received a second donation of £5 fiom Her Majesty the Queen, for an old 
man of 107 years of age, named William Purser, a native of Redmarley, but now 
living in this town. 

1863. January 1. Married, at Hove Church, Brighton, Sir W. Russell, Bart.. 
M.P., of Charlton Park, to Margaret, only child of the late R. Wilson, Esq., 
The " Examiner" of a few weeks previous, in noticing Sir William's approaching 
nuptials, says — "Miss Wilson, of Dundivou, in the county of Lanark was with 
her mother on a visit at The Hearn, Charlton Kings, some lime ago ; and it is 
probable thence her acquaintance with Sir William dates its commencement. 
She is described by those who know her as being young and exceedingly hand- 
some, and possessing, in her own right, a fortune of from £100,000 to <£L50,000." 
Sir William and his lady arrived at Charlton Park from their wedding tour on 
Saturday, January 31st. 

1863. January. Opening of classes in physiology and natural philosophy at 
the Grammar School. The "Examiner" states — "It may be remembered that 
an uninterrupted series of successes on the part of its late pupils, in various prac- 
tical branches connected with such studies, has marked the last few years. 
Besides the distinctions of scholarships, tripos, and the Woolwich cadets' list, or 
that of Royal Engineer commissions, its alumni have found their way into various 
positions of eminence by their scientific attainments; they have assisted in 
piercing the valley of the Ganges by a railway, and in planning the machinery 
of our mightiest frigates. Ol such openings, youths of good birth and gentle 
manners ate shewn to be every day eager to avail themselves ; aud we are glad 
to find the oldest among the schools of Cheltenham thus forward in all neeuful 
modern appliances to facilitate their aspirations." We subjoin, to show the 
success of this institution, a copy of the University Honour List — Townsend 
Exhibition at Pembroke College Oxford, 1853, Henry M. Eryer; Bible 
Clerkship at St. John's College, Oxford. 1855, William Esson ; Open Scholarship 
at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1856, Francis Bedwell ; Eirst (Jiass in Classici 
at Moderations and Second Class in Mathematics, 1856, Henry M. Eryer ; Eirst 
Class in Mathematics and Second Class in Classics at Moderations at Oxford, 1856, 



650 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

William Esson ; Junior University Mathematical Scholarship at Oxford, April, 
1857, William Esson ; Townsend Exhibition at Pembroke College. Oxford, 1857, 
John Whit well ; Second Class in Classical Moderations at Oxford, June 1858, 
Francis Bedwell; Licentiate's Diploma, with First Class Honours in Theory and 
Practice of Education and in Divinity, and Second Class in Classics and History, 
at the Royal College of Preceptors, June 1858, Thomas Roberts ; Second Class 
in Classical Moderations at Oxford, 1859, John M. Whitwell; Junior Optime, 
Cambridge, 1859, C.F. Gardner; Senior Mathematical Scholarship and Fellow of 
Merton College, Oxford, 1860, William Esson ; Second Class in final examination 
in Law and Modern History, Oxford, 1860, Francis Bedwell ; Townsend Scholar, 
Pembroke College, Oxford, 1861, Henry Swann ; Demy in Natural Philosophy, 
Magdalen College, Oxford, 1861, W. H. CorMd ; Fourth in First Class of 
Classical Tripos, University of London, 1861, T, Roberts; Scholarship of £100 
at the University of Melbourne, 1861, C. Bromby ; Exhibition of £40 per 
annum at Jesus College, Oxford, 1862, A. M. Lewis; Exhibition of £70 per 
annum at Magdalen College, Oxford, 1862, W. H. Corfield ; Second Class in 
Physical Science Tripos, London University, July, 1862, P. Hurlestone; fifth 
place in the First Class at the Senior Freshmen's Examination, Dublin, October 
1862, J. Waterworth. Military and other Examinations— Addiscombe Gentleman 
Cadet, January, 1861, and First Term Competitive Examination, third place, 
with. Prize in Chemistry, June, 1861, E. J. Alleyne; Passed for Indian Civil 
Service, 1862, Thomas Roberts; Commission in the Royal Engineers, with the 
ninth place in order of seniority, December, 1862, E. J. Alleyne. 

1863. January 6. At the Court of Quarter Sessions, this day, Mr, Purnell 
resigned the office of chairman to the magistrates, which he had held for many 
years. Mr. Curtis Hayward, chairman of the Second Court, was unanimously 
elected to the vacant office. The magistrates joined in a request to Mr. Purnell 
that he would allow his portrait to be painted, to be hung in the grand jury room 
as a memento of his brother magistrates' appreciation ot his services. 

1863 January 7. A. number of newspapers and letters received at the 
" Examiner" office, from Dr. Richardson formerly of Cheltenham, and now of 
Otago, New Zealand, marked by the post office authorities as " saved from the 
wreck of the Colombo." 

1863. January 13. Grand amateur concert at the Assembly Rooms, under 
the patronage of Sir A. and Lady Ramsay. It was one of the most brilliant and 
successful entertainments that have taken place in Cheltenham for many years. 
After paying expenses, there was a balance of nearly £200 towards the Lancashire 
Relief Fund. 

18.63. January 14. Receipt of the following donations to the Cheltenham 
Hospital acknowledged in the " Examiner" : — Thomas Champion, Esq , £52 10; 
MissSowden,£10 10; Hon. Mrs Maunsell,£31 10; Mrs. Armytage, £10; Mrs. 
Flanagan, £10; W. S., per T, B. Goddard, Esq , £150; a Lady, per Capt. Iredell, 
£10; Rev. Harry Wright, £10 10; Miss Lancaster, £21; Miss M. A. Lan- 
caster, £21 ; Miss M. T. Lancaster, £21 ; Mrs. Clutterbuck, £10 ; total, £358. 

1863. January 17. Death of Mr. Daniel Alder, aged 66. The " Examiner," 
in speaking of the event, says : " Our obituary this week records the death of one 
of the oldest tradesmen in Cheltenham, and one who, during a business life of 
many years' duration, earned a respected name. The last two years of Mr. Alder's 
life were marked by painful vicissitudes of fortune. In 1861, at one blow, big 
wife was taken from him by death, and the firm of which he was a member 
became bankrupt ; and these heavy afflictions laid himself on a bed of sickness. 
Since that time he has never again appeared amongst his fellow-townsmen, but 
has lingered on in a sick room, to experience many months of painful illness. 
His sufferings have been patiently borne, although he has long looked forward to 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 651 

the melancholy event which could alone release him from his afflictions. We 
regret that his last moments were not soothed by happier and more prosperous 
circumstances." 

1863. January 19. Resignation of Dr. Gihney, senior physician of Chelt- 
enham Hospital, and for upwards of forty years connected with the medical staff 
of that Institution. A testimonial, subscribed for him on his retirement, reached 
in the course of a few weeks, to upwards of £700, 

1863. January 19. Presentation of colours to the 13th Company Cheltenham 
Volunteers. The presentation took place at the Town Hall, by the lady of Col. 
Berkeley, M.P,, in the presence of a large number of spectators. 

1863. January 22. Meeting to consider the propriety of inviting the Glouces- 
tershire Agricultural Society to hold its meeting in Cheltenham this summer-. 
After some discussion, it was decided to delay the invitation until next year. 

1863. January 22. Death of Dr. Holmes, after a short illness. The event 
was hastened by the deceased accidentally drinking a mixture of potassia and 
water, in mistake for pure water. 

1863. January 24?. Bazaar opened at the Assembly Rooms, in aid of the 
funds for repewing St. Paul's Church: 

1863. January. Death of an old lady in London, the owner of two houses, 
Nos. 1 and 2, Brunswick Terrace, near the College. The houses had remained 
unoccupied for many years, the lady refusing to let them, except at an enormous 
rent, coupled with very stringent restrictions. On the old lady's death it was 
found that she had died intestate, and, being illegitimate, her personal property 
reverted to the crown, and her real estate in Cheltenham reverted to the Lord of 
the Manor. The two houses, estimated in value at from £4,000 to £5,000, will 
thus revert to Mr. Gardner's trustees — all vested interests of this kind being 
specially reserved to them at the late sale of the Manor. 

1863. January 29. Death of Mr. T. Simmonds, brewer, one of the oldest 
tradesmen of the town, and for some year6 churchwarden of St. Peter's district, 
aged 72. 

1863. January. Discovery of a human skeleton. About a fortnight since 
some workmen in the employ ef Mr. Thomas Perkins, farmer, of Wellington, 
were engaged in excavating stone for use upon the roads when they came upon 
several old Roman coins, some of them being upwards of an ounce in weight. 
After working for some time longer, and at about eighteen inches from the surface 
of the ground, the workmen struck upon the skull of a human skeleton, which 
rolled down under their feet. Proceeding further, they came to the remainder of 
the skeleton, with the exception of a portion of the fingers, which appeared to 
have been eaten or decayed away. The teeth in the lower jaw of the skull were 
exceedingly perfect, but a portion of the upper jaw and some of the teeth were 
missing. The discovery has caused a gooa deal of speculation in the district, 
and various surmises have been hazarded. The coins are in the possession of 
Mr. Hughes, of the New Inn, Charlton Kings, who will show them to anyone 
who may desire to see them.—" Examiner," January 23 [The publication of the 
above caused many of our local savans to visit Mr. Hughes, and the general im- 
pression appears to be that the skeleton was one of a Roman soldier who probably 
died on the march, and that the coins were buried with the body. One of the 
coins bears a representation of the altar of Janus, and its date is supposed to be 
about 150 years before the Christian era.] 

1863. February. The Cheltenham Rectory. The formal induction of the 
Rev. E. Walker to the Rectory of Cheltenham took place this month. The 
" Examiner" of January 28th says : " We stated, some twelve months ago, that 
the Rectory of Cheltenham had been purchased of the late lay improprietors ; 
Messrs. Newman and Gwinnett, for the sum of £500, with the intention of it 



652 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM 

being vested in the hands of Simeon's Trustees, the patrons of the living. The 
purchase having been completed, the final arrangements have been earried out in 
the course of the past week—Mr. Walker having formally resigned bis Perpetual 
Curacy into the hands of the Bishop, and having also been formally appointed 
by the patrons, aDd instituted by the Bishop, to the Rectory of Cheltenham. 
The usual form of " reading in" will have to be gone through in due course at 
the Parish Church, and the transfer will then be finally completed. By these 
proceedings, the anomalous state of things which has existed in the parish now 
for some six hundred years will be at last put an end to. We read in " Goding's 
History," now about being published, that very handsome endowments for the 
maintenance of the " mother church of Cheltenham" ,have existed as far back as 
the ^axon era; but that the estates, which would now yield a very large income, 
have been, from time to time, alienated to secular uses. Ws presume there are 
no means of recovering for the Rectory these alienated revenues; but that the 
" Rector" in future, as the " Incumbent" of past years, will have to content 
himself with his stipend of "forty pounds a-year," with the addition of the 
church "fees" and the voluntary " offerings" of his parishioners." 

1863. February 10. Great demonstration of Liberal Electors at English's 
Riding. School. Nearly 1000 voters sat down to dinner, and afterwards speeches 
were delivered by Col. Berkeley, M,P., Sir Wm. Russell, M.P., Admiral Crowdy, 
and others. 

1863. February. Obituary. — In our obituary to-day we regret to announce the 
death of Mrs. Eliza Odella Taylor, widow of the Rev. James Taylor, for so many 
years Incumbent of Clifton, which took place on Thursday last, at St. Alban's 
House, Cheltenham. Mrs. Taylor was the daughter of the famous Irish orator, 
the Right Hon. Philpot Curran, Master of the Rolls, and she possessed no small 
share of her father's wit and humour. It was of her sister (the betrothed of the 
ill-fated Emmett, executed for his share in the abortive insurrection) Moore wrote 
the touching melody — 

" She is far from the land, where her young hero sleeps." 

The remains of this gifted lady were conveyed from Cheltenham to Clifton 
yesterday (Tuesday) for interment in the Crypt, there to rest u with the smell of 
that mould which nourishes the violets." The funeral was remarkable only for 
its simplicity, and included the attendance oj George Downing, George Simpson, 
and Samuel Harley Bushell, Esqrs. " Examiner," Feb. 11. 

1863. February. Good Investment.— A document with a curious history was 
brought to our office this week, being a bond dated March 5, 181 1, under which the 
then Improvement Commissioners borrowed the sum of £400 of a Mr. Ebenezer 
Bradshaw, M.D., securing to him in return an annuity of £38 a-year, during the 
life of a party named by him. Mr. Bradshaw being evidently a far-seeing man, 
selected as his nominee a healthy lad of 14 years of age, and at once insured the 
lad's life in the Equitable Assurance Office for the amount of his loan, £400. 
The premium charged by the Equitable was £8 per annum ; so that Mr. Brad- 
shaw got a clear £30 a-year by the transaction, or 1\ per cent, on his £400, with 
a certainty of the money being repaid to him by the Insurance Office whenever 
the death of his nominee caused the cessation of the annuity. Nor was this the 
whole benefit accruing from his foresight. The lad on whose life the annuity 
was granted tfid not die until the month of January, 1863, so that Mr. Bradshaw 
or his representatives had been receiving 7| per cent, on the loan for upwards of 
half a century ; and on sending in their claim on the Equitable it was found that 
the accruing profits had swelled the original £400 assured up to the very hand- 
some sum of £1,684 ; the bonuses from 1811 to 1849 being £920, and from 1849 
to 1863 a further sum of £364. It is not often a man has the good fortune to 



CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 653 

invest his money at 7^ per cent, for 50 years, and then to find the original sum, 
as in this case, more than quadrupled in amount. The five Commissioners 
signing the original deed, in 1811, were Hugh EL "Williams, (Dissenting 
minister) ; John Bowles Watson, (Manager of the Theatre) ; Thomas Minster, 
(Surgeon); William Stone; and Richard White. "Examiner," Feb. 18. 

1863. February 19. The Rectory of Cheltenham. This day. the Rev. E. 
Walker, went through the formal ceremony of Induction to the Rectory of 
Cheltenham. The new Rector was met at the Parsonage House, and accompanied 
to the Church by a number of his parishioners ; among whom were the follow- 
ing : — The Rev. W. Hodgson, (Incumbent of St. Peter's), Rev. H. Hayman, 
(Head Master of the Grammar School), Rev. W. W.Gedge; Messrs. R. B. 
Hudleston and 1). J. Humphris, (Churchwardens), and J. Fisher and W. Hasell, 
(late Churchwardens) : W. N. Skillicorne, Esq , (Chairman of the Bench of 
Magistrates), W. H. Gwinnett, Esq., (one of the late lay rectors), R. S. Ling- 
wood, Esq., (Lord of the Manor), and Mr. Geo. Parsonage, (High Bailiff); G. 
W. Welch, E. Armitage, N. Hartland, J. B.' Winterbotham,T. G. Palmer, J. 
Fallon, Bay nham Jones, and R. S. Jupp, Esqrs. ; Dr. Wright aud Dr. Newman ; 
and Messrs. A. Shirer, sen., A. Paul, J. Williams, 0. H. Hale, H. Davies, J. 
Goding, W. George, R. J. Tanner, W. Boodle, R. E. Marshall, Geo. Hulbert, and 
G. Norman. On arriving at the southern entrance to the church, the door was 
found closed; the key being handed to Mr, Walker, he opened the door and 
entered with the churchwardens and the attendant clergymen. Closing and 
locking the door behind them, the Rector then advanced to the bell rope, which 
had been purposely lengthened so as to reach the floor ; he swung the bell three 
or four times, and then returning to the southern entrance, re-opened the door 
and allowed the parishioners who w r ere waiting outside to enter. The procession 
then advanced to the chancel, where the necessary documents were read and sub- 
scribed to. Mr. Walker then addressed the assembly congregated within the 
building, and expressed a hope now that one crooked thing in the history of the 
parish had been put straight, o:her things would be put straight also. He was 
not without hope that the state of affairs which had existed in the parish durin^ 
the past two or three years — the congregation worshipping in two separate 
"buildings — would, with God's blessing, be put an end to; and that, ere long, steps 
would be taken to bring the whole of the congregation under one roof. On 
Sunday, the 22nd, the new Rector read himself in at the Parish Church during 
morning service, and in the evening made the necessary statutory declarations of 
his assent and adhesion to the thirty-nine articles and the Book of Common 
Prayer, and afterwards preached the sermon to a very large congregation. In 
reference to the Rector's observations respecting the bringiug of the two con- 
gregations—one worshipping at the Parish Church, and the other at the 
Temporary Church — under one roof, we may state that the Rector had pre- 
viously foreshadowed to the parishioners who met him at the Rectory, before the 
ceremony, his ideas with regard to the enlargement, restoration, or rebuilding of 
the Parish Church ; and after eliciting the views of his visitors in a brief 
friendly discussion, it was unanimously resolved by those present, and whose 
names are above given, to form themselves into a provisional committee, with a 
view to test the general feeling of the parishioners as to the possibility and 
desirability of carrying this object into effect. 

February 19. Death of Lord Sudeley. We have to announce the death of 
the Right Hon. Lord Sudeley, of Toddington, near Cheltenham, which event 
took place at Pau, Basses Pyrenees, on Thursday, the 19th inst., in his 63rd 
year. His lordship was born in February, 1801 ; and married, in 1831, Emma 
Elizabeth Alicia, second daughter of George Hay Dawkins Pennaut, Esq., of 
Penrhyn Castle, Carnarvonshire. By her, who survives him, he leaves five sons 



654 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 

and five daughters. His eldest son, Sudeley Charles George, Captain Grenadier 
Guards, born in 1837, succeeds to the title and estates. By the death of the 
noble lord the lieutenancy of the county of Montgomery becomes vacant. We 
understand the funeral arrangements of the deceased nobleman, like those of his 
late father, are confided to Messrs. Debenham, Son, and Freebody, of this town. 
Mr. Freebody was at Toddington on Saturday, superintending the hanging of the 
church with black cloth, and yesterday he started for Dover, there to meet the 
remains of the deceased lord, and accompany them to Gloucestershire. The 
funeral, which will be in every respect suited to his lordship's rank, is expected to 
take place on an early day in the ensuing week. <c Examiner," Feb. 25. 

[The Publisher would feel obliged by any errors or omissions in the foregoing 
Chronology being kindly notified to him, with a view to their correction in a 
future edition of the work now prepariug for publication.] 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



LIST OP WORKS PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY 

GEORGE NORMAN, 

CHELTENHAM "EXAMINER" STEAM PRINTING OFFICES. 



TVTORMAN'S HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. By John Goding. Crown 
.IN 8vo. 700 pp. ; with 80 Illustration*. Price, in Boards, 5s. ; Cloth, gilt 
lettered, 6s.; Presentation Copies, handsomely bound, gilt edges, 7s. 6d. ; 
Queen's Edition, with extra Views, bound as presented to Her Majesty, 12s. 6d. 

"VTORMAN'S PICTORIAL HANDBOOK OF CHELTENHAM; with 

IN one hundred Engravings ; arranged so as to form a guide for Visitors to 
" the Beauties of Cheltenham." Price, limp covers, 2s.; cloth, gilt lettered, 2s. 6d. 

NORMAN'S "MODERN CHELTENHAM," consisting of upwards of forty 
steel engravings, with ornamental wrapper, Is. 

PACULTIED PEWS IN THE PARISH CHURCH, CHELTENHAM, 
Being a certified copy of the original plan of the Church and Faculty, as 
deposited, in the Registry of the Bishop of the Diocese, 1794. Price, Is. 

LECTURES ON THE SEVEN PARABLES OF OUR LORD, Matt, xiii.' 
Being the substance of Eight Lectures delivered in the Parish Church, 
Cheltenham, by the Rev. E. Walker. 108 pp. Price, Is ; free for 13 stamps. 

HISTORY AND GRAMMAR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. By 
Rev. C. H. Bromby, Principal of Cheltenham Normal College. Simpkin 
and Marshall, London. 

ABRIDGEMENT of the Above, by the same author. Simpkin and Co. 

PAPERS FOR THE SCHOOLMASTER, Published monthly. Simpkin and 
Marshall, London. 

TIESSETT'S FRENCH INSTRUCTOR. By Melle. Tiessett, Teacher 
of the French Language, Cheltenham. Whittaker anl Co., London. 

YOUNG LADIES' FRENCH INSTRUCTOR. By the same author. Whit- 
taker and Co. 

TIESSETT'S TABLE OF FRENCH VERBS, By Mons. Cassimer 
Tiessett. Longman & Co. 



H 



ANDBOOK OF BRITISH INDIA. By E. R. Humphreys, LL.D., 
(formerly Head Master of* Cheltenham Grammar School). Longman & Co. 



PULPIT SKETCHES ; Being Sketches of Sermons by the Rev. F. Close, 
(Dean of Carlisle), Rev. Canon Boyd, (late of Christ Church, Cheltenham), 
and other clergymen. Norman, Cheltenham. 



656 



THE CHELTENHAM AUCTION MART 

AND 

PANTECHNICON WAEEROOMS. 

{Formerly George Hotel, High Street.) 



M 



ESSRS. ENGALL, SANDERS, and ENGALL beg respectfully to invite 
the attention of Families and others Removing, or desirous of 

SELLING OR WAREEOUSING 

Household Furniture, Plate, Pictures, Wines, Books, Pianos, Luggage, Carriages 
or any other Description of Valuable Property, to the unparalleled advantage 
offered by the above-named centrally situate Establishment, occupying the most 
commanding position in the Town of Cheltenham. 

THE AUCTION BRANCH 

Is carried on upon the above-named Premises, where a large space is set apart 
for the disposal of Real Properties, Share?, Reversionary Interests, &c, and their 
Newly-erected and Spacious Furniture, Sale, and Commission Room, 
affords Executors and the Public generally every facility for the disposal of 
Household Furniture, Pictures, and other Effects. 

Cash Advanced on Goods intended for immediate and bona fide Sale. 

THE HOUSE AND ESTATE AGENCY OFFICES. 

Are arranged to afford every facility to Parties desirous to dispose of Estates, 
Houses, and other Propertiss; and the Proprietors invite those seeking for 
Investments or Residences in Town or Country, to an inspection of their 
Registers of Furnished or Unfuruished Houses. 

THE STORAGE DEPARTMENT, 

Comprising upwards of Thirty Large, Dry, Well-ventilated and Private Ware- 
rooms, for the reception of consignments of Large Quantities of Goods, is 
approached by a commodious and conveniently-arranged Staircase. 

Estimates given for the Conveyance of Goods per Rail or Road, under the 
personal superintendence of competent parties. 

Rents Collected, and all accounts promptly settled ; and the general Management 
of Land and House Property undertaken. 

Appraisements for Administration, Probate, and Succession Duty. 

Valuations of Real Estates, Timber, &c; and Properties reported on for the 
purpose of Mortgage or otherwise. 

Inventories made when Valuations are not required. 

Dilapidations Estimated. 

Land Surveying in all its Branches, and Plans correctly prepared. 

Agents to the .Union Fire and Life Insurance Office, Established 1714. 



AUCTION EERS'.SURVEYORS* VALUERS 




Stb Pmtfcdfntiom 



//V J*7//£// upwards Of 30 LARCE& DRY apartments arc appropriated for Ike 
storage of large or small quantities of household furn/ture.p/ctuRES, 
l/nen, wines, boohs, l uccace, CARRfACES, Ac.by the Yea i \Mon tk or iter A- . 
private rooms may be rented lor any time & the Keys thereof retained 
by the Depositor. _ estimates qiven lor the Conveyance ofGooelsPsRcad, 
orRail, under the personal superintendence of competent pa rites , and 
experienced^ trustworthy ftnters slackers sent to any part of the Country. 

A U CT/ ON ROOMS tor the disposal of REAL ESTATES, HOUSES, &C. AND 
EVERY DESCR/PTI ON OF PERSONAL PROPERTY / 'N LARGE OR SMALL QUANT/T/ES. 



^LUATIONS FOR PPfto 

^*°8ATE iA DMlNlSTiATl0a M»0 



"*£***&«. 



■£ UN /ON F/RE&L/FEIN- 

Established I7i4 



SUCCESSION DUTV. 









Q^ZM^yf^ieef; ^Jy^mym^. 



tSf Psmi™»s2_ 




4ss"fl'©if 






attd PmttrrI;tSion 



IN which UPWARDS OF 30 LARGE* DRY apartments are appropriated iortke 
storage of targe or small qua?itdies of household furniture. pictures, 
linen, wines, books, lucgace, CARRIAGES, & c. by the Year.Month orWeek . 
private rooms may be rented ior any time & the Keys thereof retained 
by the Depositor _ estimates given for the Conveyance of Goods PfRoad, 
or Rail, under the personal superintendence ofeompefent parties, and 
experienced & trustworthy dbi-ters&Bickers sent to any part eftJic Country. 

AUCTION ROOMS for the disposed of REAL ESTATES. HOUSES, &C. AND 
EVERY DESCRIPTION OF PERSONAL PROPERTY IN LARGE OR SMALL QUANTITIES. 

M^LUATiONS FOR PR . —Z^—~ S ■ „ .OCCASION DUTy. 

ESTABLISHED 171^- 



659 

BRYANT AND G A R N I C K , 

(Late Cape and Company J 

Proprietors, 

362, HIGH STREET, 1, COLONNADE, AND 1, CLARENCE STREET, 

CHELTENHAM. 



WOOLLEN CLOTH EMPORIUM!! 
TAILORING AM) OUTFITTING ESTABLISHMENT. 



BESPOKE DEPARTMENT. 

Moderate Charges, and a Good Fit Guaranteed. 

HUNTING COATS AND JUVENILE CLOTHING. 

The best House in the Trade for Liveries. 



READY MADE CLOTHES. 

The Largest and Cheapest Stock in the County of 
Over Coats, Talmas, Ponchoes, Codringtons, &c. 



WATERPROOF CLOTHING, 
Coats, Capes, Leggings, &c. 



SHIRTS. 

London, Glasgow, Londonderry, and Cheltenham Makes, ready for Use. 

SHIRTS MADE TO ORDER, 

From the best Materials, at one-third less price than those generally advertised. 



Collars, Fronts, Ties, Gloves, Silk Handkerchiefs, Braces , &c. 

HATS, CAPS, & c . 

French Plush Hats, from 2s. lid. 



REGISTERED PALETOT AND OTHER GARMENTS. 
Agents for H., D., and J. Nicolls. 



862, HIGH STREET, 1, COLONNADE, & 1, CLARENCE SIREET, 

CHELTENHAM. 



660 

{Established 1803.] 

MESSRS. LANE, 

AUCTIONEERS, ESTATE AND HOUSE AGENTS, 

Offices :— 17, Montpellier Walk, Cheltenham. 

Agents for the Globe Insurance Company for Fire, Life, and Annuities. 

Goods of all Kinds Warehoused. 

JOHN CLARE, 

GENERAL SEEDSMAN, MEALMAN, & c . , 

Wholesale and Retail Dealer in 

CORN, HAY, STRAW, MALT, HOPS, &c, 

133, HIGH STREET, 

AND 

DORSET MEWS, St. GEORGE'S PLACE, 

CHELTENHAM. 

372, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM. 

WILLIAM THOMAS DIX, 

TAILOR AND BREECHES MAKER, 

Hosier, Glover, and Shirt Maker. 

AGENT FOR FORD'S EUREKA SHIRTS. 
funerals completely furnished. 

Established 1846. 

W. AND J. WEBB, 

NEW AND SECOND-HAND BOOKSELLERS, BINDERS, 

AND STATIONERS, 

BEG to inform their Friends and the Public generally, that they are in want of 
1,000 Volumes of New or Second hand Books. Any person having a 
large or small quantity may meet with a ready purchaser. 

Apply at 

315, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM. 

Newspaper and Periodical Office. 



661 
ROYAL OLD WELLS PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO. 



J. HUMPHREYS, 
ARTIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER, 

BEGS most respectfully to return thank> to the Nobility, Gentry, and Inhabitants 
of Cheltenham, tor the distinguished patronage they have hitherto conferred 
upon him, and takes this opportunity of announcing that he has TAKEN INTO 
PARTNERSHIP Mil. WHAITE, an Eminent Photographer, (from White's 
Fine Art Gallery. Manchester), by which arrangement facilities will be afforded 
in the Artistic and Operating Departments, as will enable them to produce 
pictures of unsurpassing excellence. 

Recent improvements have been made which are peculiarly adapted to the 
production of the fashionable and much-admired Carte de Visites. 



J. Humphreys & Co. would particularly call attention to their Enlarged 
Photographs finished in Crayons ; also to their Ivory Coloured Vignette 
Carte de Visiles. 

Photographs iD every branch and style. 

Favourite animals taken, either for the album or folio. 

Works of Art faithfully reproduced. 



Attendance from 10 till dusk. 



MR. T. WEEKS, 

PHOTOGRAPHER, 

BATH ROAD, CHELTENHAM. 

In the Press, and shortly will be published, 

THE LEGENDS OF CHELTENHAM AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE, 

Being Sketches in Verse, 

Of the Tragic and Comic Tales of this Locality. 

By WM. BYRNE, 
With Illustrations, drawn and etched on copper by the Author. 



662 

HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 
QVEEN'S EDITION. 



A SPECIAL EDITION of Norman's History, with extra Steel Engravings, and 

handsomely hound in morocco, gilt edges, has been prepared for presentation 

to Her Majesty the Queen and H.R.H. Prince Albert. A few copies of the 

" Queen's edition," similar in all respects to those presented to the Queen and 

Prince, may be had of the Publisher. Price 12s. 6d. 

Published every Saturday Morning, at the Montpellier Library, Price 3J. 

THE CHELTENHAM LOOKER-ON, 

A Note Book of the Sayings and Doinsrs of Social, Political, and Fashionable 
Life, containing also Lists of the Arrivals and Departures, and a selection of such 
Local and General Intelligence, as is calculated to interest the residents and 
visitors of Cheltenham and their friends at a distance. 

This popular publication has now been established nearly thirty years, and has 
obtained the approval and support of the affluent and educated circles of society 
to an extent probably unexampled in the annals of the Provincial Press. 

Published by HENRY DAVIES, MONTPELLIER LIBRARY, also at the 

ROYAL LIBRARY, 3S4, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM, at either 

of which establishments Advertisements will be received. 

THE CHELTENHAM FREE PRESS, WEEKLY FASHIONABLE 

DIRECTORY, AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE HERALD, 

Established 1834, 

HAS the Largest Circulation, and is the most approved Advertising Medium of 
all the Saturday Papers in the District. The Proprietor, who was one of the 
warmest advocates for the removal of the taxes on knowledge, was one of the 
first to avail himself of the privilege of dispensing with the impressed stamp. 

Offices :— 149, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM. 
65, WINCHCOMB STREET, CHELTENHAM. 



H. B. GARDNER, 
BOOKSELLER, STATIONER, AND NEWS AGENT. 



" The Times," "Illustrated London News," " Record," and local papers, 
Lent to Read. 



Books and Periodicals got on the Shortest Notice, at London Prices. 



663 

MR. THOMAS LEWIS, 

AUCTIONEER AND APPRAISER, LAND AND HOUSE AGENT, 

Valuations made fur Transfer of Property, and for Probate and 
Succession Duties. 

Local Agent for the "Albert and Medical Life Assurance." "National and 

Provincial Plate-Glass Insurance," and for the " Salop Eire Insurance, 

Established 178 D. M 

Office :— 75, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM. 

Large and conveniently arranged Rooms for Housing Furniture and other Effec's. 



GEORGE SWEETING, 

AUCTIONEER, APPRAISER, ESTATE AND HOUSE AGENT, 

111, High Streut, Cheltenham. 

[Established 1833.] 

Valuations made for Transfer, Probate. Legacy, and Succession Duties. 

W. HAILING, 

BOOKSELLER, NEWS AGENT, AND STATIONER, 

185, HIGH STREET, 

(Six doors below St. Mary's Hall,) 
cheltenham. 

[Established 1835,] 

THE GLOUCESTER BREAD AND ELOUR COMPANY, 

32 5, HIGH STREET, 

(Opposite Henrietta Street), 

WHOLESALE & RETAIL SELLERS OF BREAD, ELOUR, CORN & MEAL 

Of all descriptions. 

All Goods sold warranted free from Adulteration. 

Plain Bread weighed on delivery if required.— Large consumers are invited 

to examine our quality and pace. 

AGENTS FOR HOKNIMAN's UNCOLOUHED TEA. 



664 



CHARLES E. BRYDGES, 

(Late C. Hale Jessop), 

NURSERYMAN, SEEDSMAN, & ELORIST, 

ST. JAMES'S NURSERY, ROSARY, & SEED WAREHOUSE, 

ST. JAMES'S SQUARE, CHELTENHAM, 

Near to the Great Western Railway Station. 




This Nursery is peculiarly adapted for the growth of most kinds of Young 
Trees, as they are found to remove with an abundance of fibrous roots, and to do 
well after removal. 

C. E. B. respectfully begs to call the attention of residents and visitors to his 
stock of Roses, Fruit Trees and Shrubs, which will be found to contain a choice 
collection. 

BEDDING PLANTS, 

In great variety, at 4<s. per dozen, or 30s. per hundred. 

GREENHOUSE AND STOVE PLANTS. 

HERBACEOUS AND ALPINE PLANTS, 

The best varieties. 

STRONG QUICK, HORNBEAM, AND PRIVET, 

For Fences, &c., per thousand. 

FOREST TREES, of all sorts. ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, &c. 

CONIFERS, a fine assortment. 

LARCH, SPRUCE, AND PINES, 

Of all kinds, for Plantations, per thousand. 

DWARF, PYRAMIDAL, TRAINED, & STANDARD FRUIT TREES, 

A Choice Assortment, of all kinds. 

DWARF, STANDARD, CLIMBING, & POT ROSES, 

In all the leading and new varieties. 

KITCHEN GARDEN, FARM, & FLOWER SEEDS. 

BRIDAL AND OTHER BOUQUETS MADE TO ORDER. 

Experienced Gardeners recommended, Wimbledon & other Peats, Silver Sand, 

Cocoa Fibre, Cuba Bass, Gishurst Compound, Tobacco Paper, Pots, &c. 

Gardens Laid Out, Altered, and Planted by Contract or otherwise, and kept 

in order by the year. 



665 

The Nobility and Gentry are respectfully informed that 

MR. WOODWARD 

Has a Fine Selection of very superior 

PIANO-FORTES, 

By Erard, Collard, Broadwood, Kirkman. &c. selected from the above makers, 

FOR SAL**, HIRE, OR IN EXCHANGE. 

TUNING AND REPAIRS. 

N.B. — The Two Grand Pianotortes, by Erard, u«ed at the late Amateur 

Concert, were from this Establishment. 



14, CENTRE PROMENADE, CHELTENHAM. 

JAMES VILLAR, 

AUCTIONEER, 

1, Portland Street, 

CHELTENHAM. 
MANUFACTORY FOR 

LOOKING GLASSES, WINDOW CORNICES, PICTURE FRAMES, 

AND 

DECORATIVE FURNITURE. 



ARTHUR WHITCOMBE, 

(Formerly of Coventry Street, Loudon), 

PLATE GLASS FACTOR, AND SILVERER ; PRINTSELLER, &c. 



Designs furnished for every kind of Decorations. 



T . SIMS, 
PASTRY COOK, FRENCH BREAD AND BISCUIT BAKER, 

AND 

CONFECTIO N ER, 
148, High Street, Cheltenham. 

Rusks, Tops and Bottoms, Biscuit Powder, &c. 

Rich Bride Cakes, Patent Luncheou Cakes ; Biscuits for Invalids' and 

Infants' Food. 

Agent for Jones's Patent Flour, and Horniman's Uncoloured Tea. 



666 

ALDER AND ALDER, 

UPHOLSTERERS 

AND 

CABINET MANUFACTURERS. 

DECORATOTS, UNDERTAKERS, 

HOUSE AGENTS & APPRAISERS, 

ALBION STREET, CHELTENHAM. 



The Oldest Established House, 



EXTENSIVE SUITE OF SHOW BOOMS, 

CONTAINING A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF 

FIRST-CLASS GOODS, OF THEIR OWN MANUFACTUBE, 

AND AN IMMENSE STOCK OE 

CARPETS, SILKS, DAMASKS, CHINTZES, PAPER HANGINGS, 
&c, &c. &c. 



Goods oe all kinds Carefully Warehoused. 



Sole Agents in Cheltenham for Lowtlier and Co.'s Patent Helioscenl 
Snnblinds. 



667 



MR. DOBELL, 
HER MAJESTY'S WINE & SPIRIT MERCHANT, 

CHELTENHAM. 

Appointed July 4, 1838. 

CENTRAL COUNTING HOUSE IN THE COLONNADE. 

Stores & Cellars in the Arched Buildings, 

AND IN 

Gloucester Place. 
WAREHOUSE AND CELLARS WEST END OF HIGH STREET. 



Small as well as large Quantities may be had at either Establishment, 
Mr. Dobell possessing the Retail as well as Wholesale Licenses. 



Sole Agent for Her Majesty's Lochnagar Whiskey. 



6 68 

CHELTENHAM FURNISHING WAREHOUSE, 

Opposite the Post Office, Clarence Street. 



O HIRER AND SON'S, CABINET, FURNITURE, CARPET and 
^ GENERAL FURNISHING DEPARTMENT, having increased so rapidly 

of late, necessitated an additiun to their already extensive premises, they therefore 

resolved to build a 

MANUFACTORY AND SHOW ROOMS, 

on a scale before unknown in the provinces, a Drawing of which they will have 
much pleasure in forwarding; also a Plan of the Interior which contains Five 
Floors arranged in the most complete manner, with the largest stock of Cabinet 
Furniture in the West of England, at very moderate prices. 

Their New r Premises are thoroughly well ventilated, and are also heated 

with tv. o of f'eikins's Patent Heating Apparatus, which enables them to keep all 

the different rooms at one temperature throughout the winter months ; they have 

also built a 

FEATHER ROOM, 

which is kept at 120 Degrees Farenheit, and in w r hich every article of Bedding 
is placed previous to being sent to the Purchaser. 

One Floor of the Building is laid out as 

MODEL ROOMS, 

shewing at a glance the articles required for completely furnishing rooms in any 
style and at any price. 

Having sufficient space for exhibiting every class of Furniture in their New 
Premises, they are enabled to devote three large rooms at their Establishment in 
the Promenade exclusively for 

CARPETS, HEARTH RUGS, DAMASKS, CHINTZES, 
CURTAINS, UPHOLSTERY, TRIMMINGS, &o. 

Their Stock will be found large, varied, well assorted, and at prices defying 
competition. They take this opportunity of tendering their best thanks to their 
numerous patrons, for their kind orders, and also for their recommendations, 
assuring them and the public, that no effort will be spared on their part to merit Q, 
a continuance of that confidence. 

Ladies and Gentlemen looking round will not be importuned to purchase. 



669 

SEA SIDE EDUCATION. 
(Twelve miles from Bristol and Five from Clevedon.) 

MISS M. A. NORMAN, 
Woodland Villa, West Portishead, 

TAKES a limited number of Young Ladies (and Young Gentlemen under nine 
of age). Portishead is delightfully and healthily situated at the entrauce to the 
Bristol Channel; the School is close to the water, yet completely sheltered by the 
surrounding woods. The childieu are instructed in every branch of a useful 
Education, and treated with all the kindness and comfort of home. — For terms, 
apply as above, or to Mr. G. Norman, " Examiner" Office, Cheltenham. 

THE "CHEL1ENHAM EXAMINER." ESTABLISHED 1839. 

Published every. Wedndsday Morning. Oefice: 9, Clarence Street 

G. Norman, Proprietor. 

THE " EXAMINER" is the Leading Business Paper of the District, with a 
circulation of nearly Two Thousaud Copies. Price (with Supplement weekly) 
3d.; stamped 4d. Every description of Priuting — Books, Pamphlets, Circulars, 
Haudbills, &c. — on the most, reasonable terms, at Norman's Steam Printing 
Offices and Wholesale Paper Warehouse, 9, Clarence Street, Cheltenham. 

the ''CHELTENHAM CHRONICLE" & GENERAL ADVERTISER, 

Established 1809, 

(The Oldest Paper in Cheltenham, and the Oldest but one in the County), 

IS essentially a Family Newspaper; all offensive advertisements and objection- 
able matter of every kind strictly excluded. Contains full and accurate 
Reports of all Local and County Proceedings. 

Published every Tuesday Morning at Nine o' Clock. 

Price 3d. ; Stamped, Aid. 

O eeices : 2 7, Clarence Street. Cheltenham. 

The "CHELTENHAM JOURNAL" and GLOUCESTERSHIRE 
EASH ION ABLE WEEKLY GAZETTE, 
(Established 1824,) 
S PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING 

AT THE 

Ofeices-QUEEN'S BUILDINGS, CHELTENHAM, 

And Circulated simultaneously in all parts of the kingdom. 

Price Threepence. 

Subscription, per Annum, 14s.; Stamped, 18s. 



I 



670 

WESTLEY'S PROMENADE LIBRARY, 

and 

CHELTENHAM BOOK CLUB. 

13, PROMENADE, 

la connexion with Messrs. Mudie's Library, London. 



The Year-Single Subs. ... >£l. 1 

6 Months ( For "\ 12 

3 Months ) One ( 7 

1 Month 1 Complete i 3 

Weekly I Work. J 10 



Double Subscription ... £1 11 6 

/ For -\ 18 

J Two / 10 6 

J Complete. C 4 6 

\ Works. J 16 



Any Work not in demand by Subscribers Lent to Read by the Volume. 

FOR LIST Or NEW BOOKS* SEE WESTLEY'S MONTHLY COMPENDIUM, GRATIS. 

F. C. WESTLEY, 

BOOKSELLER AND STATIONER, 

13, PROMENADE, AND 96, HIGH STREET. 

Books obtained from London daily. 

The London and LoC'il Mewspapers delivered to all parts of Cheltenham. 

Newspapers Lent to Read. 

Terms for Reading the Daily Newspapers : — 10s. per Quarter, or ]s. per Week* 

Periodicals Supplied. 



WRITING PAPERS & ENVELOPES: 
Dobbs, Kidd and Co., De la Rue and Co., and Kent Manufacturers. 

Dies sunk by Experienced London Workmen. 

Herald icttlly Embossing, or in one Colour, 

No Charge for Stamping Note Paper or Envelopes, plain. 



WEDDING STATIONERY, 

Plain or in Silver, of the latest Fashion. Visiting Cards, engraved>nd printed. 
PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUMS : 

A large Variety for selection ; also of Carte ae Visite Portraits, 
and Scrap Photographs. 

THE NEW CHELTENHAM GUIDE, 

Describing the Resources of Cheltenham as a Residence, with full Accounts of 

the Spas, and Analysis of the Waters of each, also a List of the Hunting 

Coverts, &c, &c. 

Published by 

F . C . WESTLEY, 
13, Promenade, and 96, High Street, Cheltenham. 



